Software combines power and signal integrity testing, helping engineers check power delivery and signal performance under changing loads.
Tektronix has introduced Power Distribution Network (PDN) Analysis Software for its 4 Series B, 5 Series B, and 6 Series B Mixed Signal Oscilloscopes. The software combines power integrity and signal integrity validation in one workflow, allowing hardware designers to check power rail stability, identify noise sources, and assess how power delivery affects signal performance.
Modern systems such as AI servers, high-performance computing platforms, and automotive electronics place higher demands on power distribution networks. These systems can handle rapidly changing currents of 1,000 A or more while operating within tighter voltage limits. The PDN must respond to fast load changes without affecting the performance of high-speed data links.
PDN validation has traditionally relied on frequency-domain measurements with standalone vector network analyzers. While this approach is useful for small-signal analysis, it does not show how the network behaves under active, high-current load conditions. It can also require access to voltage regulator feedback loops, which may not be accessible in modern designs.
Step-load measurements provide a way to test PDN behaviour under dynamic load conditions without accessing the voltage regulator feedback loop. Based on the Stability Evaluation for Power Integrity Analysis (SEPIA) methodology developed by Picotest, the software brings SEPIA measurements into an oscilloscope workflow.
This allows engineers to evaluate power supplies and voltage regulators using real load transients without breaking control loops or modifying the circuit board. The approach can help designers examine the interaction between power delivery and high-speed signal performance during system validation.
“The boundary between power integrity and signal integrity has become a primary bottleneck in hardware validation,” said Daryl Ellis, Vice President and General Manager, Signal Acquisition and Analysis Portfolio. “By bringing time-domain stability analysis into the oscilloscope, engineers can evaluate power distribution network behaviour under real operating conditions and better understand how power integrity affects signal performance.”
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