Keysight Technologies, has introduced the 20 gigahertz (GHz) PSG XG7-class analog signal generator, an instrument that packages two fully independent RF channels into a compact two-rack-unit (2U) chassis. Engineered for ultra-low phase noise and calibrated high-power output, the new platform enables design and test engineers to evaluate device performance with higher precision while maximizing throughput within space-constrained laboratory environments.
As next-generation electronic architectures advance across aerospace, defense, commercial wireless communications, and high-speed digital sectors, signal purity has become a critical operational requirement. Phase noise and amplitude fluctuations from legacy signal sources often obscure subtle device behaviors, complicating design validation. Concurrently, test engineering teams face mounting pressure to increase test density and update aging test benches without altering physical rack footprints or rewriting expensive automation scripts. The PSG XG7-class directly addresses these operational bottlenecks by providing high-fidelity signal synthesis, low noise floors, and dual-channel capability in a reduced footprint.
Key Operational and Technical Capabilities
Analog signal generator of Keysight PSG XG7-class can boast of double-channel RF synthesis that is independent in operation with maximal operating frequencies of 20 GHz inside the 2U chassis designed to provide maximum test density inside the lab. This platform has extremely low phase noise characteristics of -135 dBc/Hz as well as AM noise of -150 dBc/Hz, which were tested at 10 GHz carrier frequency and 10 kHz offset. In order not to distort signal sources during tests, the instrument provides extremely low broadband noise of -166 dBc/Hz at 10 GHz while providing clean and calibrated output power of up to +22 dBm peak power in order to compensate for line losses. The platform is fully SCPI compatible, which allows using it with existing automated testing processes without any modifications.
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The platform’s high-performance architecture offers several key advantages for high-frequency test environments:
Enhanced Signal Clarity: Ultra-low phase noise (-135 dBc/Hz) and amplitude modulation noise (-150 dBc/Hz) measured at a 10 GHz carrier with 10 kHz offset, combined with a -166 dBc/Hz broadband noise floor, ensure that signal generator noise does not mask critical device-under-test (DUT) characteristics.
Doubled Test Density: By providing two fully isolated test channels in the conventional 2U rack space, test densities can be enhanced and multichannel test capability is facilitated without increasing the rack space of hardware devices.
High Output Compensation: Precisely calibrated power output ranging from +22 dBm compensates for loss incurred due to the long cable, switching, and complicated test fixtures required in order for the intended power level to reach the DUT.
Faster System Integration: Complete SCPI language compliance, familiar rear-panel connectors, and parameter compatibility with previous generations of signal sources allow faster system integration and higher reuse of code for automated tests.
Jun Chie, Vice President, Keysight Core Product Management, said: “For decades, engineers have relied on Keysight’s PSG signal generators for trusted performance in the most demanding measurement environments. This new analog signal generator builds on that legacy with the purity, power, and productivity customers need to reveal true device performance and modernize test environments with confidence.”
Hybrid Architecture for Flexible Test Demands
The PSG XG7-class incorporates a hybrid signal generation architecture leveraging software mode switching, allowing operators to dynamically optimize performance profiles based on target application needs—ranging from radar receiver sensitivity testing to satellite payload verification. By pairing high-purity signal generation with seamless drop-in hardware replacement, Keysight provides a scalable path for organizations modernizing mission-critical test systems.
