S-6
The Tektronix S-6 Sampling Head plug-in is a 50 Ω feed-through unit with a rise-time of 30 ps and bandwidth of 11.5 GHz. It was introduced in 1971.
The S-6 provides two unterminated 50 Ω SMA connections in a loop-through configuration as is convenient for TDR applications. It is strongly recommended to leave a termination resistor on the unit when unused to give some protection against electrostatic discharge.
The S-6 does not provide a trigger pickoff signal.
Key Specifications
| Rise time | 30 ps |
|---|---|
| Bandwidth | 11.5 GHz |
| Input voltage | 1 Vp-p (operating) |
| Maximum input | ±5 VDC |
| Maximum single sample step | 250 mV for less than 5% aberration |
| Input impedance | 50 Ω (unterminated!) |
| Noise | < 5 mV of noise |
Internals
The S-6 is very similar to the S-4 in that it uses a 6-diode traveling wave trapped-charge sampling gate. This gate is implemented in the 155-0053-00 hybrid. Since the S-6 is a feed-through sampling head, the blow-by compensation is implemented slightly differently using a 10 k resistor in the hybrid directly connected to the input signal.
The S-6 replaces the discrete preamplifier of the S-4 with two opamps from a 155-0035-00 quad opamp chip. The two other opamps are used to buffer the gate bias voltages.
Links
- S-6 internal photo and simulation
- Repairing an S-6 head (with internal photos)
- S-6 @ amplifier.cd 7S12 page
- S-6 @ barrytech.com
Patents that may apply to S-6
| Page | Title | Inventors | Filing date | Grant date | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patent US 3629731A | Sampling system | George Frye | 1968-07-12 | 1971-12-21 | Sampling • S-4 • S-6 |
Documents Referencing S-6
| Document | Class | Title | Authors | Year | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42W-5850.pdf | Application Note | Preventing Sampling Head Overdrive and Static Damage | Gary Mott | 1985 | Sampling • S-1 • S-2 • S-3A • S-4 • S-5 • S-6 |
| Rochester LLE Review Volume 25.pdf | Article | Computerized, Wide-Bandwidth, Multichannel, Soft X-Ray Diode Spectrometer for High Density Plasma Diagnosis | 1985 | 7S12 • S-52 • S-6 • LM7912 • LM7912A • 7912DPO | |
| RISOM2873.pdf | Article | Improvement of the Bandwidth of the Transient Digitizers in the LIDAR Thomson Scattering Diagnostic on JET | Erik Kristensen | 1990 | 7912AD • 7A29 • 7704A • 7S12 • S-6 • S-52 |
Prices
1979: $1,345 (~$5,600 in 2023 dollars)
According to an internal memo, annual sales were estimated at 225 units in 1979.
Pictures
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S-6 front
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S-6, entire plugin
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S-6 sampling head and S-52 pulse generator head in a 7S12 TDR/Sampler plugin
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S-6 with a black face plate
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S-6 schematic
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S-6 internal left side
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S-6 internal right side
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S-6 internal right side
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S-6 internal left side, Preamp board removed
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S-6 internal all boards removed, 155-0053-00 hybrid remains
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S-6 Preamp board top
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S-6 Preamp board backside
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S-6 Strobe board backside
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S-6 interconnect board
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155-0053-00 hybrid sampling diode assembly
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155-0053-00 hybrid sampling diode assembly (internal)
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155-0053-00 hybrid sampling diode assembly with lid
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155-0053-00 hybrid sampling diode assembly (internal)
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155-0053-00 hybrid sampling diode assembly (internal)
Measurements
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Impulse taken with S6 sampling head. Every dot is equivalent to one sample taken, and combined on the CRT with a rate of app. 100 Hz. Bright dots are newer than dimmed ones.
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Incident pulse from an S-52 (nom. < 25 ps) displayed by an S-6 head (nom. < 30 ps), both installed in a 7S12. Displayed rise time ~35 ps confirms spec.
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"Self Portrait" of an S-6: A pulse reflected on the unterminated "through" path (approx. 120 ps one way)
Components
Some Parts Used in the S-6
| Part | Part Number(s) | Class | Description | Used in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 152-0335-00 | 152-0335-00 | Discrete component | step recovery diode | S-4 • S-6 |
| 152-0335-01 | 152-0335-01 | Discrete component | 150 ps step recovery diode | 1502 • S-2 • S-4 • S-6 |
| 155-0035-00 | 155-0035-00 • 155-0116-00 | Monolithic integrated circuit | quad op-amp | 3110 • 3S7 • 3T7 • 492 • 492A • 492AP • 492P • 494 • 494P • 496 • 496P • 4010 • 4011 • 4012 • 4013 • 7L5 • 7L12 • 7L13 • 7L14 • 7L18 • 7S11 • 7T11 • 7S12 • S-6 • 1461 • 4602 • P7001 • 613 • 653 |
| 155-0053-00 | 155-0053-00 | Hybrid integrated circuit | sampler | S-6 |