The Keysight (Agilent) N4906B Serial BERT is a high-performance bit error ratio tester for validation of high-speed serial interfaces from 150 Mb/s to 12.5 Gb/s. This general-purpose instrument delivers cost-effective testing across telecommunications, data center, and semiconductor manufacturing environments with integrated pattern generation, error detection, and optional Clock Data Recovery (CDR) for clockless interface testing.
Technical Specifications
Data Rate Coverage
• Option 003: 150 Mb/s to 3.6 Gb/s
• Option 012: 9.5 Gb/s to 12.5 Gb/s
• Option 102: 150 Mb/s to 12.5 Gb/s with CDR functionality
Pattern Generation and Detection
• Integrated pattern generator and error detector
• Pattern depth: 32 Mbit
• Pattern editor supporting user-defined, test, and PRBS sequences
Clock Output Specifications
• Option 003: 150 MHz to 3.6 GHz
• Option 012: 9.5 GHz to 12.5 GHz
• Option 102: 150 MHz to 12.5 GHz
• Square wave output with +0.5 V High / -0.5 V Low (typical)
• Transition times: < 20 ps (Option 003), < 25 ps (Option 012), < 50 ps (Option 102)
• Differential or single-ended interface
Error Output
• RZ format, active high
• DC coupled, 50 Ω
– Key Features
Option 101 (Enhanced Measurement Suite) includes differential input testing for LVDS and similar interfaces, BERT scan with total jitter and random/deterministic jitter separation, fast total jitter measurement, spectral decomposition, eye contour analysis, error location capture, output-level measurements, and fast eye mask testing for manufacturing pass/fail validation.
– Typical Applications
High-speed serial interface validation, component and system characterization, telecommunications device testing, data center link qualification, and semiconductor manufacturing quality assurance.
– Compatibility & Integration
Remote control via LAN, GPIB, and USB. Compatible with Agilent TestExec, Vee, Microsoft Excel, Visual Basic, and National Instruments LabVIEW. Windows-based color touch screen interface with backward compatibility for legacy remote commands.
