Functional Overview

This chapter provides the overview of the features provided by the HDAWG Instrument. The first section contains the description of the graphical overview and the hardware and software feature list. The next section details the front panel and the back panel of the measurement instrument. The following section provides product selection and ordering support.

Features

The HDAWG Instrument consists of several internal units that process digital data (light blue color) and several interface units processing analog signals (dark blue color). The front panel is depicted on the left-hand side and the back panel is depicted on the right-hand side. The arrows between the panels and the interface units indicate selected physical connections and the data flow. Information indicated in orange is linked to options that can be either ordered at purchase or upgraded later. The HDAWG Arbitrary Waveform Generator comes in two model variants, the HDAWG4 (4 channels) and the HDAWG8 (8 channels). Ordering Guide details the available upgrade options for each instrument type and whether the corresponding option can be upgraded directly in the field.

hdawg functional diagram
Figure 1. HDAWG instrument functional diagram

The Arbitrary Waveform Generator (AWG), consists of Sequencer to define pulse sequences, and a Waveform Player that selects which waveforms should be played from the Waveform Memory. The output of a single Arbitrary Waveform Generator connects to two analog front-ends. Before the signals are being played, the may be digitally modulated by numerical oscillators that generate sinusoids, or pre-distorted in real-time with the HDAWG-PC option before. Hardware trigger signals and experiment data, e.g. to realize timing synchronization within the instrument or communicate with external equipment, can be accessed through shared communications (32-bit DIO, ZSync).

Wave outputs

  • 2.4 GSa, 16 bit

  • 2 marker bits per channel (1 output on front panel)

  • Direct and amplified output

  • Dynamic sampling rate

  • Switchable output filter

Arbitrary Waveform Generator

  • Efficient Pulse-level Sequencing

  • LabOne® AWG Sequencer and Compiler

    • Flexible channel grouping 1x8, 2x4, 4x2

  • Parametric pulse description

    • Pulse description in Command Table

    • Waveform-independent amplitude, frequency and phase control

  • Up to 500 MSa waveform memory per channel

  • Waveform memory saving features

    • Flexible digital modulation

    • Modulation at multiple frequencies (with MF-option)

  • Digital pulse predistortion through programmable IIR and FIR filters

High-speed Connectivity

  • LAN 1 Gbit/s interface

  • USB 3.0 high-speed host interface

  • 32-bit Digital Input and Output (DIO) port

  • ZSync connection for clock synchronization and fast data transfer

Software

  • LabOne Graphic User Interface: Web-based with multi-instrument control

  • Zurich Instruments LabOne Q software for high-level programming of quantum computing experiments.

  • Data server with multi-client support

  • LabOne APIs, including Python, C, LabVIEW, MATLAB, .NET

  • Turnkey software and firmware features for fast system tune-up

Front Panel Tour

The front panel SMA connectors and control LEDs are arranged as shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 and listed in Table 1.

hdawg4 frontpanel with letters
Figure 2. HDAWG4 Arbitrary Waveform Generator front panel
hdawg8 frontpanel with letters
Figure 3. HDAWG8 Arbitrary Waveform Generator front panel
Table 1. HDAWG Instrument front panel description
Position Label / Name Description

A

on off

soft power button

power button with incorporated status LED

blue
  • steady glow: the instrument has an active connection over USB or Ethernet

  • blinking slowly (<1/sec): the instrument is ready to connect

red1
  • blinking rapidly (>1/sec): the instrument firmware is starting up or shutting down, or a firmware upgrade is in progress

  • dim glow: the instrument is shut down and can be powered off using the rear panel switch, or restarted using the soft power button

B

Trig

TLL trigger input

C

Mark

TTL marker output

D

Wave

single-ended waveform signal output

E

n/a

this multi-color LED indicates that the associated Wave output is actively driven by the instrument.

blue

output enabled, amplified output

green

output enabled, direct output

red
  • running pattern: the instrument firmware has started up correctly

  • blinking pattern: indicator used by the Identify Device functionality, or to signal a device error

1 On some instruments, the color of the soft power button LED is blue in these states.

Back Panel Tour

The back panel is the main interface for power, control, service and connectivity to other ZI instruments. Please refer to Figure 4 and Table 2 for the detailed description of the items.

hdawg backpanel with letters
Figure 4. HDAWG Instrument back panel
Table 2. HDAWG Instrument back panel description
Position Label / Name Description

A

Reference Clk In

reference clock input (10 MHz) for synchronization with other instruments

B

Reference Clk Out

reference clock output (10 MHz) for synchronization with other instruments

C

Sample Clk In

sample clock input for external control of the DAC sample clock

D

Sample Clk Out

sample clock output

E

ZSync

inter-instrument synchronization bus connector

Attention: this is not an Ethernet plug, connection to an Ethernet network might damage the instrument.

F

LAN 1GbE

1 Gbit LAN connector for connection to the host computer

G

DIO 32bit / Marker

32-bit digital input/output connector

H

AC 100 - 240 V

power inlet, fuse holder, and power switch

I

safety chassis gnd

4 mm banana jack connector for protective earth (PE) ground, electrically connected to the chassis and the earth pin of the power inlet

J

MDS 1

bidirectional TTL port for multi-device synchronization

K

MDS 2

bidirectional TTL port for multi-device synchronization

L

USB

Universal Serial Bus (USB) 3.0 port for connection to the host computer

Ordering Guide

Table 3 provides an overview of the available HDAWG products. Upgradeable features are options that can be purchased anytime without need to send the Instrument to Zurich Instruments.

Table 3. HDAWG Instrument product codes for ordering
Product code Product name Description Field upgrade possible

HDAWG4

HDAWG4 Arbitrary Waveform Generator

base 4-channel arbitrary waveform generator

-

HDAWG4-CNT

HDAWG4-CNT Pulse Counter

option for HDAWG4

yes

HDAWG4-MF

HDAWG4-MF Multi-frequency

option for HDAWG4

yes

HDAWG4-ME

HDAWG4-ME Memory Extension

option for HDAWG4

yes

HDAWG4-PC

HDAWG4-PC Real-time Precompensation

option for HDAWG4

yes

HDAWG4-SKW

HDAWG4-SKW Output Skew Control

option for HDAWG4

no1

HDAWG8

HDAWG8 Arbitrary Waveform Generator

base 8-channel arbitrary waveform generator

-

HDAWG8-CNT

HDAWG8-CNT Pulse Counter

option for HDAWG8

yes

HDAWG8-MF

HDAWG8-MF Multi-frequency

option for HDAWG8

yes

HDAWG8-ME

HDAWG8-ME Memory Extension

option for HDAWG8

yes

HDAWG8-PC

HDAWG8-PC Real-time Precompensation

option for HDAWG8

yes

HDAWG8-SKW

HDAWG8-SKW Output Skew Control

option for HDAWG8

no1

HDIQ

IQ Modulator

4 channel IQ modulator, accessory for HDAWG4 and HDAWG8

yes

1 The upgrade requires the instrument to be returned and calibrated at Zurich Instruments.

Table 4. Product selector HDAWG
Feature HDAWG8 HDAWG8 + HDAWG8-MF HDAWG8 + HDAWG8-MF + HDAWG8-ME HDAWG8 + HDAWG8-MF + HDAWG8-ME + HDAWG8-CNT

Number of AWG channels

8

8

8

8

Amplitude Modulation mode

yes

yes

yes

yes

Sequencing

yes

yes

yes

yes

Direct and amplified output modes

yes

yes

yes

yes

Variable sampling rate

yes

yes

yes

yes

Sine generators1

8

32

32

32

Oscillators1

4

16

16

16

Multi-device synchronization

yes

yes

yes

yes

Multi-frequency modulation

no

yes

yes

yes

Digital IQ modulation

yes

yes

yes

yes

Waveform memory per channel

64 MSa

64 MSa

500 MSa

500 MSa

Number of pulse counters1

-

-

-

8

Sampling rate 2.4 GSa/s

yes

yes

yes

yes

Marker bits1

16

16

16

16

Vertical resolution 16 bit

yes

yes

yes

yes

Frequency range

750 MHz

750 MHz

750 MHz

750 MHz

USB 3.0

yes

yes

yes

yes

LAN 1 Gbit/s

yes

yes

yes

yes

1 Numbers in these lines are divided by 2 in for the HDAWG4 4-channel model variant.

When using the HDAWG and the UHFQA in a Zurich Instruments Quantum Computing Control System, the two instruments need to be connected with a VHDCI cable between their respective DIO ports. Due to the different voltage levels of the DIO connectors on the HDAWG and UHFQA, a passive voltage level shifter needs to be placed in series with the VHDCI connection. It is furthermore recommended to use a mechanical stabilization of the VHDCI connection on the HDAWG side in order to prevent damage to the DIO connector due to cable pull. A set of a VHDCI cable, a level shifter, and a mechanical stabilization part are available as DIO Link Set from Zurich Instruments upon request under support@zhinst.com.

The DIO Link Set is shown in Figure 5.

Please follow the instructions below in order to install the DIO Link Set between the HDAWG and the UHFQA.

  1. Fix the DIO level shift fixture anchor to the DIO connector on the UHFQA using the screws already installed on the UHFQA DIO port.

  2. Fix the DIO level shifter fixture to the anchor using the two M3*10 mm screws.

  3. Clamp the DIO fixture (slider and body) lightly to one of the connectors of the VHDCI cable using the two M4*10 mm screws. This side of the cable is to be connected to the HDAWG.

  4. Connect the VHDCI cable between the DIO level shifter fixture and the DIO port on the HDAWG and tighten the manual screws on both VHDCI connectors.

  5. Push the DIO fixture (slider and body) firmly towards the HDAWG casing and tighten the two M4*10 mm screws to increase the mechanical stability of the VHDCI cable connection.