Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR)

and S-parameters
Advanced Measurements not only Signal Integrity - July2009
Agenda
Time Domain Reflectometry
TDR and TDT measurements
True Differential measurements
Deskew
Reference Plane Calibration (SL vs. OSL)
S-parameters
Concept and Definition
Return Loss and Insertion Loss
Cross-talk interference
NEXT and FEXT concepts
Introduction to mixed-mode S-parameters
TDR vs. VNA S-parameter correlation
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Agenda
Time Domain Reflectometry
TDR and TDT measurements
True Differential measurements
Deskew
Reference Plane Calibration (SL vs. OSL)
S-parameters
Concept and Definition
Return Loss and Insertion Loss
Cross-talk interference
NEXT and FEXT concepts
Introduction to mixed-mode S-parameters
TDR vs. VNA S-parameter correlation
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
What is TDR ?
A pulse generator is used to provide an incident
step pulse ( stimulus )
Voltage Reflection from the Device Under Test
(DUT) is measured by the scope . TDR
mismatch
Shape of the measured Reflection helps
determine the type of discontinuity and its
location
TDR - Time Domain Reflectometry (TDR)
TDR measurements set-up
TDR measures Discontinuities that
cause reflections and their Distance
Time
~
I t is the measurements of the
reflection in the time domain
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
lim Z
Load

Device Under Test

Step
Generator
TDR Module
Z
S
= 50 O
+
-
V
meas
Z
0
= 50 O
V
incident
V
reflected
V
incident
V
meas
time
2 (V
incident
)
V
measured
= V
incident
V
measured
= V
incident
+ V
reflected
= 2 (V
incident
)
V
incident
edge
occurs
V
reflected
edge occurs
TDR Display
V
reflected
= V
incident
(
Z
Load
Z
0
)
Z
Load
+ Z
0
lim Z
Load
,
Solving for V
reflected
:
V
reflected
= V
incident
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Open Circuit (Zload )
TDR example
V
measured
= V
incident
V
measured
= V
incident
+ V
reflected
=
2(V
incident
)
V
incident
edge
occurs
V
reflected
edge occurs
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Open in the air
TDR example
Device Under Test
Step
Generator
TDR Module
Z
S
= 50 O
+
-
V
meas
V
incident
V
reflected
lim Z
Load
0
Z
0
= 50 O
time
2 (V
incident
)
V
incident
V
meas
TDR Display
V
incident
edge
occurs
V
measured
= V
incident
V
reflected
edge occurs
V
measured
= V
incident
+ V
reflected
=
0
V
reflected
= V
incident
(
Z
Load
Z
0
)
Z
Load
+ Z
0
lim Z
Load
0,
Solving for V
reflected
:
V
reflected
= -V
incident

"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters

Short Circuit (Zload =0)
TDR example
V
incident
edge occurs
V
measured
= V
incident
V
measured
= V
incident
+ V
reflected
= 0
Normalized trace
Raw trace
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Short terminated (Zload = 0)
TDR example
Device Under Test
Step
Generator
TDR Module
Z
S
= 50 O
+
-
V
meas
V
incident
V
reflected
Z
Load
= 50 O
Z
0
= 50 O
V
incident
V
meas
time
TDR Display
V
incident
edge
occurs
V
measured
= V
incident
No reflection occurs
because impedance
is matched
V
reflected
= V
incident
(
Z
Load
Z
0
)
Z
Load
+ Z
0
Z
Load
= Z
0
,
Solving for V
reflected
:
V
reflected
= 0

"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters

Matched Impedance (Zload =50 Ohm)
TDR example
V
measured
= V
incident
V
incident
edge
occurs
No reflection occurs
because impedance
is matched
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Matched Impedance
TDR example
V
incident
V
meas
time
TDR Display
V
incident
edge
occurs
V
measured
= V
incident
Series L
Discontinuity
V
reflected
Device Under Test
Z
Load
= 50 O
Z
0
= 50
O
Z
0
= 50
O
L
Device Under Test
Z
Load
= 50 O
Z
0
= 50 O Z
0
= 50 O
C
V
incident
V
meas
time
TDR Display
V
incident
edge
occurs
V
measured
= V
incident
Shunt C
Discontinuity
Inductance (L) and Capacitance (C)
TDR example
time t=0
r
e
f
e
r
e
n
c
e

p
l
a
n
e
V
incident
V
meas
2(V
incident
)
TDR step generator
produces incident edge
matched
impedance
V
reflected
= 0
short circuit
V
reflected
= -V
incident
open circuit
V
reflected
= +V
incident
inductive
distortion
capacitive
distortion
The TDR display reveals both the magnitude
and nature of an impedance mismatch.
Understanding TDR display
V
incident
V
meas
time
TDR Display
Transit time, T
D = 0.5*(T)*(v
p
)
Physical distance to fault location can be
determined by:
D = physical distance to fault location
T = transit time from monitoring point to mismatch
and back (round trip delay)
v
p
= velocity of propagation (material property)
Device Under Test
Z
Load
= 50 O
Z
0
= 50 O Z
0
= 50 O
L
Distance, D
Device Under Test
Z
Load
= 50 O
Z
0
= 50 O Z
0
= 50 O
L
Distance, D Distance, D
Inductive
Discontinuity
Determining Fault Location
TDR example
This example shows the actual TDR response of a
transmission line consisting of three impedance
sections in series: 100 ohms, 62 ohms and 100 ohms
Multi Stage Impedance
TDR example
What is TDT?
A pulse generator is used to provide
an incident step pulse ( stimulus)
Voltage Transmission from the Device
Under Test (DUT) is measured by the
scope
TDT Insertion (Transmission) Loss
Requires two TDR modules one to
generate the step and other to sample
~
TDT measurements set-up
DUT
Two TDR
modules
TDT - Time Domain Transmission (TDT)
Time
~
Scope
transmission transmission
It is the measurements of the transmission in the time domain
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
True Differential TDR / TDT
High Speed digital systems are
mainly differential
DUT
Differential TDR measurements set-up
Scope
Steps Generators
TDR requires two ST-20 modules to
provide the differential signal (
stimulus), step pulses, positive and
negative ( automatically changes
polarity when selecting differential )
De-skew control aligns the two pulses
from each of the two ST-20 modules.
HW deskew (50 ps)
Requires four TDR modules two
to generate the differential signal
and other two to receive the
differential signal
Differential TDT measurements set-up
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Reference Plane Calibration
After calibration effects
of test fixture and
connectors are removed
from response
Before calibration effects
of test fixture and connectors
are included in the response
Calibration Methods :
Short Load (SL)
Uses Two known
standards ( Short & Load)
Open Short Load (OSL)
Uses Three known
standards
(Open , Short & Load )
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Agenda
Time Domain Reflectometry
TDR and TDT measurements
True Differential measurements
Deskew
Reference Plane Calibration (SL vs. OSL)
S-parameters
Concept and Definition
Return Loss and Insertion Loss
Cross-talk interference
NEXT and FEXT concepts
Introduction to mixed-mode S-parameters
TDR vs. VNA S-parameter correlation
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Introduction to S-Parameters
S-parameters (Scattering matrix) are the way we electrically accurately
describe how RF energy propagates through a multi-port DUT.
DUT even if incredibly complicated is considered as simple black box
The S-parameter matrix for an N-port DUT contains N
2
S-parameters
S-parameters are complex numbers ( magnitude and phase )
Frequency
S11 Magnitude Reflection
~
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
What are S-Parameters ?
S-parameters are a measure of reflection and transmission properties
of power in a DUT
S stands for Scattering
DUT could be for example: a coax cable, passive antenna, active
amplifier, microwave filter, etc.
S-parameters have magnitude (dB) and phase (degrees)
Naming Scheme : S<output port><input port>
o Example S21 = transmission from port 1 to port 2
Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) and TDR ( Time Domain Reflectometer)
are typically used to measure S-parameters.
2-port DUT
Z
S
Z
L
Port
1
Port
2
a
1
, Incident Power
b
1
, Reflected Power
b
2
, Transmitted Power
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
2-Port S-Parameter Definitions
S
11
= b
1
/a
1
|a
2
=0 Input reflection coefficient with the output
port terminated by a matched load
S
21
= b
2
/a
1
|a
2
=0 Forward transmission gain with the output
port terminated by a matched load
S
22
= b
2
/a
2
|a
1
=0 Output reflection coefficient with the input
port terminated by a matched load
S
12
= b
1
/a
2
|a
1
=0 Reverse transmission gain with the output
port terminated by a matched load
b
1
=S
11
a
1
+S
12
a
2
b
2
=S
21
a
1
+S
22
a
2
a
1
b
1
b
2
2-port DUT
Z
S
Z
L
Port
1
Port
2
a
2
S
21
calculation for a 24 backplane
Example of S-parameter plot
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Port Numbering Problem Answer
(
(
(
(

5 . 8 32 4 . 1 34
32 5 . 9 34 4 . 1
6 . 1 35 9 32
33 1 32 9
= Trace Impedance Match/Mismatch
= Strong Port-Port Coupling
1
3
2 4
differential
transmission line
Ports 1 and 3 are strongly coupled
Ports 2 and 4 are strongly coupled
Agenda
Time Domain Reflectometry
TDR and TDT measurements
True Differential measurements
Deskew
Reference Plane Calibration (SL vs. OSL)
S-parameters
Concept and Definition
Return Loss and Insertion Loss
Cross-talk interference
NEXT and FEXT concepts
Introduction to mixed-mode S-parameters
TDR vs. VNA S-parameter correlation
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Stimulus
Transmission
Reflection
Reflection / Transmission
( Frequency Domain )
Reflection: Return Loss (dB)
o ratio in dB of the reflected signal power relative to the incident signal power
Transmission : Insertion Loss (dB)
o ratio in dB of the transmitted signal power relative to the incident signal power
S
21
backplane
Frequency
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Agenda
Time Domain Reflectometry
TDR and TDT measurements
True Differential measurements
Deskew
Reference Plane Calibration (SL vs. OSL)
S-parameters
Concept and Definition
Return Loss and Insertion Loss
Cross-talk interference
NEXT and FEXT concepts
Introduction to mixed-mode S-parameters
TDR vs. VNA S-parameter correlation
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
NEXT/FEXT on adjiacent trasmission lines
Near-End Cross Talk ( NEXT ) is the ratio between the voltage
measured on the near end on the quiet line and the stimulus.
Far-End Cross Talk ( FEXT) is the ratio between the voltage
measured on the far end on the quiet line and the stimulus.
NEXT-FEXT Cross-talk measured the coupling between two
adjacent transmission lines
Active or Aggressor Line
Quiet or Victim Line
Stimulus / TDR Response
NEXT
TDT Response
FEXT
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
NEXT Quiet Line @ 50
Line Length
Round Trip Time
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
NEXT Quiet Line Open Terminated
Line Length
Round Trip Time
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
NEXT Quiet Line Open Terminated
readout
NEXT
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
Agenda
Time Domain Reflectometry
TDR and TDT measurements
True Differential measurements
Deskew
Reference Plane Calibration (SL vs. OSL)
S-parameters
Concept and Definition
Return Loss and Insertion Loss
Cross-talk interference
NEXT and FEXT concepts
Introduction to mixed-mode S-parameters
TDR vs. VNA S-parameter correlation
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
General 4 port Measurement Setup
4-port DUT can be modeled as single-ended or differential
Single ended S-parameter measurements for a 4-port network are
straightforwardjust like 2-port case, only more S-parameters
A 4-port DUT can also be modeled as 2-port differential DUT and in this
case represented using Mixed-Mode S-Parameters
4-port DUT
Port
1
Port
2
50
50
Port
3
Port
4
50
50
(
(
(
(
(

44 43 42 41
24 33 32 31
24 21 22 21
14 13 12 11
S S S S
S S S S
S S S S
S S S S
Mixed Mode S-Parameters
s
11
s
21
s
31
s
41
s
12
s
22
s
32
s
42
s
13
s
23
s
33
s
43
s
14
s
24
s
34
s
44
|

\
|
|
|
|
|
.
a1
a2
a3
a4
|

\
|
|
|
|
|
.

b1
b2
b3
b4
|

\
|
|
|
|
|
.
(
(
(
(

=
(
(
(
(

(
(
(
(

2
1
2
1
2
1
2
1
22 21 22 21
12 11 12 11
22 21 22 21
12 11 12 11
cb
cb
db
db
ca
ca
da
da
Scc Scc Scd Scd
Scc Scc Scd Scd
Sdc Sdc Sdd Sdd
Sdc Sdc Sdd Sdd
Differential
Mode Terms
Common Mode
Terms
Mixed Mode
S-parameters
1
D
D
C C
2
Single-ended
S-parameters
1
3
2 4
Agenda
Time Domain Reflectometry
TDR and TDT measurements
True Differential measurements
Deskew
Reference Plane Calibration (SL vs. OSL)
S-parameters
Concept and Definition
Return Loss and Insertion Loss
Cross-talk interference
NEXT and FEXT concepts
Introduction to mixed-mode S-parameters
TDR vs. VNA S-parameter correlation
"Advanced Measurements ....not only Signal Integrity" - TDR and S-parameters
TDR/TDT and VNA S-parameter
TDR/TDT and S-parameter are describing reflection / transmission respectively
in the time domain and in the frequency domain .
TDR/TDT
S-Parameter
TDR/ TDT measurements may be
converted into the frequency domain
for S-parameter analysis.
S-parameter measurements may
be converted into the time domain
for TDR/TDT measurements
Reflection Correlation on S
11
VNA S-parameter measurement
compared to WaveExpert extracted S-
parameter from TDR measurement