GuideTech Breaks Jitter Test Cost Barrier With New GT4000 CTIA
First Production Solution for Multi-Gigabit Serial Devices Unveiled at ITC
International Test Conference, Charlotte, NC Oct. 26, 2004 GuideTech, the leading innovator in high-performance timing solutions, today introduced the company's new GT4000(TM) Continuous TIA precision timing analyzer. The advanced GT4000 provides the industry's first cost-effective high-speed serial (HSS) interface jitter analysis solution for automated test equipment (ATE). The GT4000 significantly lowers the overall production test cost of emerging HSS interfaces such as PCI Express(TM) and Serial ATA(TM) by providing total jitter decomposition and asynchronous pattern verification on up to 32 differential channels (8 in parallel) in a fraction of the time of alternative test options. As an independent solution or as an enhancement to standard loopback test methods, the comprehensive jitter analysis of the GT4000 provides valuable insight into problematic serial interface behavior that can help to ensure device interoperability in real-world environments.
The GT4000 was specifically designed to address the fact that HSS interfaces cannot be tested with traditional synchronous digital ATE solutions. Applying the unique edge timestamping capabilities of GuideTech's proprietary Continuous Time Interval Analyzer (CTIA(TM)) technology, the GT4000 is the first to perform asynchronous HSS interface pattern verification using a 'virtual' pattern marker instead of a physical synchronization marker, which may take half a minute to achieve pattern match and often proves to be unreliable in the presence of large jitter. The continuous timestamping nature of the GT4000 direct edge timing measurements enables this asynchronous HSS interface jitter analysis, as well as one-shot PLL lock time and spread spectrum modulation verification, with throughput outperforming all other solutions available on the market today.
Debuting at ITC, the GT4000 essentially doubles the performance of GuideTech's flagship Femto 2000(TM) platform by offering 3.2 gigabit per second (Gbps) test capabilities, and includes the new Datacom Analysis (DCA) function that takes advantage of CTIA "Virtual Marker" to decompose jitter and validate asynchronous data patterns at test speeds that are cost-effective for high volume production test. The GT4000 offers 64 single-ended and 32 differential channels and will begin shipping in Q1 2005. Target applications include high-speed interface applications including PCI Express, SATA, XAUI, Fibre Channel, USB2, DVI, LVDS, HyperTransport(TM), 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and DDR clocks.
"With the introduction of the GT4000, GuideTech now provides the key component for dramatic IC evolution by enabling cost-effective, high throughput production test of emerging gigabit serial devices." stated Gary Conley, GuideTech's Chief Executive Officer. "The GT4000 is particularly attractive for those companies testing PCI-Express and SOC devices that incorporate clock-embedded serial interfaces which are very challenging to test economically on existing ATE."
The 35th annual International Test Conference (ITC) runs from October 26-28 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and is the world's premier professional technical conference dedicated to the test and design-for-testability of integrated circuits, allied components, assemblies and systems. GuideTech will be demonstrating the new GT4000 at ITC in booth 1420 and will be available to discuss the company's proprietary jitter analysis solution and its application in high volume production ATE systems. GuideTech will also present two conference papers, a company brief, and GuideTech's VP of Engineering, Garry Gillette, will provide the keynote speech at the 1st Annual TTTC Gigabit Test Workshop where GuideTech will deliver a tutorial on the esoteric subject of Bounded Uncorrelated Jitter (BUJ).
About GuideTech
GuideTech is the leading innovator in high-performance timing measurement instrumentation, providing semiconductor manufacturers with the solutions they need to minimize timing-related component failure, along with dramatically reduced production test costs through test-time reduction and extended ATE lifecycles. Based on patented Continuous Time Interval Analyzer (CTIA(TM)) technology, the company's family of multi-channel timing test systems accomplishes this by substantially improving test throughput via fast measurement rates, far greater accuracy, asynchronous parallelism, and through critical, high-speed timing test coverage often lacking in ATE systems. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, and founded in 1988, the company is the first to deliver cost-effective, advanced timing measurement solutions that easily integrate onto any ATE platform. For more information, please contact Tammy McClure at 408-731-8857 or tammy@guidetech.com. Visit the company's Web site at www.guidetech.com.