System and method of generating test signals with injected data-dependent jitter (ddj)

Abstract

A system and related method for generating a test signal with controllable amounts of signal jitter includes a pattern generator, a programmable arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) and a phase modulator. The pattern generator is configured to generate a data signal characterized by a given data pattern, bit rate and pattern length. A trigger signal representative of initial timing information associated with the data signal is provided to the AWG which subsequently generates a modulation signal with a frequency equal to the bit rate divided by the pattern length of the data signal. This modulation signal is provided to the phase modulator, along with a reference clock signal, and the phase modulator generates a modulated clock signal controlled by a phase modulation means (e.g., a controllable delay line) fed by the modulation signal. The resultant jittery clock signal is then provided to the pattern generator to adjust the timing of the data signal and to generate a signal representative of a data signal with data-dependent jitter characteristics. Additional inputs to the delay line of the pulse generator may include a random Gaussian noise signal for providing random jitter and a periodic signal for providing periodic jitter.