Agilent Keysight 86106B Optical Electrical DCA Module 28GHz 86100 Scope Plug-in

Agilent Keysight 86106B Optical Electrical DCA Module 28GHz 86100 Scope Plug-in: Single-Mode Optical Channel with 40 GHz Electrical for High-Speed Telecom Compliance Testing

The Agilent Keysight 86106B Optical Electrical DCA Module 28GHz 86100 Scope Plug-in is a dual-channel plug-in for the 86100B Infiniium DCA mainframe, combining a 28 GHz single-mode optical channel with a 40 GHz electrical channel. Built with an integrated OC-192/STM-64 (9.953 Gb/s) reference filter,it is designed for engineers running standards-based transmitter compliance testing on high-speed SONET/SDH optical transceivers.

Key Features and Benefits of the Agilent Keysight 86106B Optical Electrical DCA Module 28GHz 86100 Scope Plug-in

• 28 GHz single-mode optical channel — Wide unfiltered bandwidth captures high-speed optical waveforms with 18 ps transition time for accurate pulse shape analysis.
• 40 GHz electrical channel with dual bandwidth modes — 18 GHz mode delivers best oscilloscope noise performance; 40 GHz mode provides high-fidelity display of fast waveforms.
• Reference filter — Built-in OC-192/STM-64 (9.953 Gb/s) reference filter supports standards-based SONET/SDH transmitter mask testing and eye-diagram compliance verification.
• 1000 to 1600 nm wavelength range — Calibrated at both 1310 nm and 1550 nm for full coverage of single-mode telecom test wavelengths.
• -7 dBm sensitivity for mask test — Handles low-power transmitter outputs and lossy test setups without requiring external optical amplification.
• Integrated average power monitor — Built-in optical power meter reads absolute power directly, with factory calibrated accuracy of ±5% ±100 nW ±connector uncertainty.
• 9/125 µm single-mode fiber input — Optimized for standard telecom single-mode fiber with user-selectable connector interface.
• 2.4 mm electrical input — Precision 50 O connector interface for high-fidelity electrical measurements up to 40 GHz.
• Optical DC accuracy ±4% of reading — Delivers trustworthy amplitude measurements referenced to the average power monitor.

Advanced Capabilities

The 86106B's integrated architecture is what makes it particularly valuable for high-speed transmitter compliance testing. The complete measurement path — photodiode, amplification, reference filter, and average power monitor — is calibrated as a system. External optical-to-electrical converters combined with discrete power meters introduce cascaded uncertainties, connector losses, and wavelength-dependent errors that are difficult to characterize. With the 86106B, the complete measurement path — photodiode, amplification, reference filter, and average power monitor — is calibrated as a system. This integrated architecture allows absolute power readings and extinction ratio measurements to be derived from a single calibrated measurement chain, reducing uncertainty compared with external optical-to-electrical converters6and standalone power meters.

The 40 GHz electrical channel is the other technical strength worth calling out. With 9 ps transition time in 40 GHz mode, the module captures high-speed serial signals and pulse edges that lower-bandwidth scopes would smooth over. The selectable 18 GHz mode drops the characteristic RMS noise floor to 0.25 mV, delivering the low-noise performance needed for small-signal measurements. For engineers characterizing 40G electrical interfaces or looking at fast electrical outputs from optical receivers, this dual-mode design eliminates the tradeoff between bandwidth and noise that single-bandwidth scopes force on the user.

Calibration and Quality Assurance

Every Agilent Keysight 86106B is calibrated prior to shipping to OEM specifications. The order includes a Calibration Certificate, Calibration Label, and full Calibration Data. This means the module arrives traceable, audit-ready, and ready to use straight out of the box — no need to schedule a calibration cycle before putting it into service.

Specifications

Specification	Value
Module Type	Single-mode optical + electrical plug-in for 86100B DCA
Number of Optical Channels	1
Number of Electrical Channels	1
Optical Channel Unfiltered Bandwidth	28 GHz
Optical Wavelength Range	1000 nm to 1600 nm
Calibrated Wavelengths	1310 nm and 1550 nm
Installed Reference Filter	OC-192/STM-64 (9.953 Gb/s)
Sensitivity (smallest average power for mask test)	-7 dBm
Optical Transition Time (10%–90%, calculated from TR = 0.48/BW)	18 ps
Optical RMS Noise (Filtered, characteristic)	10 µW
Optical RMS Noise (Filtered, maximum)	15 µW
Optical RMS Noise (Unfiltered, characteristic)	18 µW
Optical RMS Noise (Unfiltered, maximum)	30 µW
Optical Scale Factor	20 µW to 500 µW per division
Optical CW Accuracy (single marker)	±50 µW ±4% of (reading - channel offset)
Optical CW Difference (two markers)	±4% of delta
Optical CW Offset Range	+1 mW to -3 mW
Average Power Monitor Range	-27 dBm to +3 dBm
Factory Calibrated Power Accuracy	±5% ±100 nW ±connector uncertainty (20°C to 30°C)
User Calibrated Power Accuracy	±2% ±100 nW ±power meter uncertainty (< 5°C change)
Maximum Non-Destruct Average Input Power	2 mW (+3 dBm)
Maximum Non-Destruct Peak Input Power	10 mW (+10 dBm)
Fiber Input	9/125 µm single-mode, user-selectable connector
Input Return Loss (HMS-10, fully filled fiber)	30 dB
Electrical Channel Bandwidth	18 GHz and 40 GHz (selectable)
Electrical Transition Time (10%–90%, calculated from TR = 0.35/BW)	19.5 ps (18 GHz); 9 ps (40 GHz)
Electrical RMS Noise (characteristic)	0.25 mV (18 GHz); 0.5 mV (40 GHz)
Electrical RMS Noise (maximum)	0.5 mV (18 GHz); 1.0 mV (40 GHz)
Electrical Scale Factor	1 mV to 100 mV per division
Electrical DC Accuracy (18 GHz, single marker)	±0.4% of full scale ±2 mV ±1.5% of (reading - channel offset)
Electrical DC Accuracy (40 GHz, single marker)	±0.4% of full scale ±2 mV ±3% of (reading - channel offset)
Electrical DC Difference (18 GHz, two markers)	±0.8% of full scale ±1.5% of delta
Electrical DC Difference (40 GHz, two markers)	±0.8% of full scale ±3% of delta
Electrical DC Offset	±500 mV
Electrical Input Dynamic Range	±400 mV (relative to channel offset)
Maximum Electrical Input Signal	±2 V
Electrical Nominal Impedance	50 O
Electrical Reflections (for 20 ps rise time)	5%
Electrical Input Connector	2.4 mm (male)
Available Optical Connector Options	Diamond HMS-10, FC/PC, DIN, ST, SC
Compatible Mainframe	Agilent 86100B Infiniium DCA