Keysight Technologies adds 64-GBaud capabilities to M8000 Series BERTs for 400GbE

Keysight Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: KEYS) has expanded its M8000 Series of bit error rate test (BERT) sets with the M8040A. The new BERT enables PAM4 and NRZ testing at rates up to 64 GBaud (PAM4) and 64 Gbps (NRZ) in validation labs and R&D facilities.

The new BERT offers simplified test setups and repeatable and accurate results, Keysight says. It is a two-box system, featuring the BERT and a remote head. The head is an output amplifier with adjustable gain to minimize loss for connecting cable.

The M8040A comprises the M8045A pattern generator and the M8046A error detector. The pattern generator is available with one or two channels with built-in de-emphasis. The generator creates clean and jittered data patterns and clocks, switchable between PAM4 and NRZ via software. This flexibility eliminates the need for external combiners, cabling, and deskew to provide PAM-4 signals, Keysight says. The BERT also offers adjustable nonlinearity in PAM4 mode.

The M8046A supports 32 GBaud in the system's initial release, with 64 GBaud capabilities available later this year. It provides PAM-4 error analysis in real-time for long PRBS and QPRBS patterns.

Keysight expects the BERT to prove useful in a variety of IEEE 802.3bs 400 Gigabit Ethernet and OIF CEI-56G design applications. These include electrical chip-to-chip, chip-to-module, backplane connections, and optical interfaces.

The M8040A BERT starts at $323,000 for a 32-GBaud PAM4 BERT with one channel, including the M8070A software. The system is available now for ordering.

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