UFS 4.1 Protocol Exerciser and Analyzer

PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA UFS Protocol Analyzer interfaces to solder down probe tips using mSMP flexi coax cables. The active probe tips are powered by power module which is powered by PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA. Protocol Analyzer is interfaced to host computer using USB3.0 interface. High-speed host connectivity and 16GB buffer enables continuous streaming of protocol data to host SSD resulting storage of protocol data for longer period of time. Software offers multi-view features such as MPHY view, UniPro view, PACP view and UFS View. Each view lists the respective protocol packets and its details with correlation of each layer for easy debug. Lightweight Analyzer is easy to carry during field visit.

PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA software which runs in windows OS interfaces to the PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA hardware unit using USB3.0 interface. The software enables configuration of protocol analyzer and setting up the board-to-board interposer for reliable data capture. The Protocol Activity captured by the PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA hardware unit is decoded and display the Protocol data in MPHY layer, PACP, UniPro and UFS.

Windows based protocol analysis software provides industry best protocol correlation between UFS to UniPro and MPHY layers. Time correlation between the different protocol layers significantly reduces debug time of designs. Floating window design of this software allows engineers to view UFS view, UniPro view and MPHY view on different computer monitors and automatically correlate the UFS packets to MPHY layer. This makes analysis of protocol data very easy while analyzing the gigabytes of protocol information.

The PGY-UFS4.1-PA supports automatic tuning of CTLE (Continuous-Time Linear Equalizer) parameters for both solder-down and board-to-board interposers, enabling reliable capture of UFS4.1 protocol traffic.

The UFS4.1 Protocol Analyzer interfaces with the probe module’s redriver IC through an SPI interface to control and optimize the CTLE settings. Initially, the analyzer applies a default CTLE configuration that is suitable for a wide range of UFS4.x devices under test and continuously monitors the eye diagram within the PGY-UFS4.1 Software.

The software measures key signal integrity parameters, including eye height and eye width. If the detected eye opening is insufficient for reliable data capture, the analyzer automatically adjusts the CTLE parameters in the redriver IC to optimize signal quality and improve the eye opening.

This automatic CTLE tuning mechanism ensures robust signal integrity and enables accurate, error-free capture of UFS4.1 protocol data across different DUT configurations.

Intelligent Signal Optimization

• Automatically tunes CTLE parameters in solder‑down and board‑to‑board interposers, ensuring flawless UFS4.1 protocol data capture.
• Built‑in intelligence controls the redriver IC via SPI, eliminating manual adjustments and reducing setup complexity.

Real‑Time Eye Diagram Monitoring

• Leverages the PGY‑UFS4.1 Software to continuously monitor eye height and width.
• Detects insufficient eye openings and instantly adjusts CTLE parameters to guarantee clear, reliable signal integrity.

Customer Benefits

• Zero Guesswork: Autotuning ensures optimal CTLE settings without manual intervention.
• Accuracy Assured: Maintains a wide, stable eye opening for error‑free data capture.
• Future‑Ready: Compatible with widely used UFS4.0 devices while also optimized for UFS4.1 validation.
• Efficiency Boost: Engineers save valuable debug time with automated signal conditioning.

PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA Software can display each UFS packet parameters in a listing window. Right click lists all the packet parameter for user selection. User can color code the fonts or background color for easy identification for each UFS packet. PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA Software separates the PACP packets in a separate view for easy analysis of power mode change packets and link to UniPro packets. Users can view the MPHY states stall, prepare, sync information in UniPro view apart from user selection for DL_Data and AFC/NACK Packet details.

PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA Software provides the different events while decoding the acquired data. These events are listed in search/filter view.
Software enables directly locate this events in the decoded biew for debugging purpose.

The software is flexible select the specific packets or specific with know attributes. This make it easy to locate the specific packets in thousands of protocol packet saving lot of debug time.

Probing UFS signals is one of the key challenges for reliable protocol analysis. In most DUTs, test points are located close to each other without enough space to solder the probe tips. Prodigy Technovations offers multiple probing solutions for reliable access to UFS M-PHY signals.

Solder-in probe tips can be soldered directly to the test pads between the UFS host and device. These probe tips have high analog bandwidth to support HSG5B signals at 23.32 Gbps. The active circuit in the probe tip efficiently drives the low-power M-PHY signal to the UFS 4.0 Protocol Analyzer for error-free protocol analysis at UFS 4.0 speeds.

Many UFS 4.0 development platforms have SMPM connectors to access the M-PHY signals. To probe such DUTs, Prodigy Technovations offers SMPM probe tips. The SMPM probe tips have mating SMPM connectors on the DUT, making it convenient to connect to the DUT and analyze UFS 4.0 protocol data.

The power divider interposer provides access to the UFS signals through an integrated probe tip. SMPM coaxial cables are required to connect the power divider to the UFS test setup. These cables are to be arranged separately by the user.

Board to Board interposer (B2B) version 2.0 interposer provides access to the UFS4.1 signals in DUT where test points are unavailable. The interposer has two PCBs. One PCB (bottom PCB) is the same size as the UFS4.1 device, and the second (top) has the UFS4.0 socket. Bottom PCB is soldered in place of UFS4 device and connected to top PCB using ARF cable. The UFS4 device is placed in the UFS4 socket in top PCB. TheUFS4 signalsare tapped using a passive power divider method and amplified using redrivers with CTLE towards the protocols analyzer. This ensures the best signal integrity at 23.32Gbps and provides stable access to the UFS4 signals for protocol analysis.

P4012-INT-B2B-CAB UFS 4.1 Board to board interposer with integrated probe tip cable to connect.

Active Board to Board (ATX_B2B) version 2 interposer is similar to the V2_B2B interposer, except the signal between the UFS4 host and UFS4 device is actively split for the protocol analyzer using redrivers with CTLE. In some designs (DUT), the UFS4 signal strength is very low. V2 B2B interposer, which splits the signal using a passive power divider may prevent the DUT from operating if the signal level is low. The ATX_B2B addresses this problem by actively splitting the signal and helps restore the signal quality for DUT operation. This enables successful UFS4.1 protocol analysis even when the DUT has very low design margins.

PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA is an UFS4.1 Protocol Exerciser and Analyzer that can be upgraded to UFS4.1 Protocol Exerciser (Tester) with additional external UFS4.1 tester board. Users can run UFS 4.0 CTS, UniPro2.0 CTS and write custom test scripts to develop their custom test cases to test the UFS device.

PGY-UFS4.1-EX-PA with UFS4.1 Exerciser capabilities forms the industryʼs best solution to test the UFS systems and UFS devices by detailed protocol analysis as well as powerful tester capabilities resulting reliable UFS4 products and faster time to market.

Prodigy Technovations has developed UFS4.0 Tester board which can be externally interfaced to PGY-UFS4-PA and upgrade the PGY-UFS4-PA to support UFS4 protocol Test needs. The TX0 and TX1 lanes from PGY-UFS4-PA drive the PACP, UniPro and UFS4 protocol packets at different speeds to the UFS4 device that is placed in UFS4 Tester board. The UFS4 device response to injected protocol packets is input to the protocol analyzer to analyze the device response. UFS4 tester board is powered by a power supply from PGY-UFS4-PA.

PGY-UFS4-EX-PA Software which enables exercising different protocols packets at PACP layer, uniPro layer and UFS layer. This software has built UniPro and UFS conformance test suite (CTS) to do all protocol tests as per the standard to ensure interoperability between host and devices. The test case development framework provides flexibility write unique test cases to test engineer test the UFS devices for its performance. The error injection test cases can be written to ensure the device can handle the error packets without causing system level issues.

PGY-UFS4.1-PA with UFS4 tester board and the software provides industry best custom UniPro and UFS Test case development platform for UFS 2.2/3.1/4.1 devices.User can set the prepare time, sync length, burst speed, fast or fast auto mode, one lane or two-lane configuration. Flexibility to easily define each of the attributes of the UniPro or UFS packets. All these test cases can be saved and recalled for future use. Test report of UniPro CTS, UFS 4.0 CTS and Custom test cases can be generated in mht format

UFS4 Conformance Test Suite (CTS) supports both UFS SCSI Command Test and UFS Protocol Test as per MIPI Alliance CTS Specification. User can access these test cases in PGY-UFS4-PA Software and run individual test cases or group test cases. Prodigy UFS4 Protocol Analyzer will inject the each test to UFS3/4 device and provides the response to analyzer. The software will analyze results and report the pass/fail criteria.

UniPro2.0 Conformance Test Suite supports UnIPro 2.0 CTS as per MIPI Alliance Specification.

User can select all PHY Adapter Layer tests, Data Link Layer Related Tests, Network Layer Related Tests, Transport layer related tests and SME related tests. Based on user selection will be run and results are displayed with pass/fail criteria. User can analyzer test results for failure condition of by reviewing the protocol decoded data.

User can use the drop menu to select the specific test case and run it and view the results.