arbitrary waveform generator (AWG)
Arbitrary waveform generators(AWG) are flexible signal generators for generating arbitrary analog waveforms from digital signals. The limits are fixed by the parametersbandwidth, frequency range, output level and accuracy.
AWG generators are comparable to function gener ators and can generate all waveforms of function generators: sine, triangle, square, sawtooth and pulse. The bandwidth is responsible for the highest frequencies of the generated signals. Since especially square wave signals and pulses have a high harmonic content, higher harmonics may only have a low attenuation, otherwise the generated waveform deviates strongly from the theoretical one.
AWG signals are generated by digital signals. This means that the the waveform is stored in. The signal duration for a non-repeated waveform therefore depends on the number of sampling points and thus on the memory size. The larger the memory size, the longer a non-redundant AWG signal can be.
AWG signals can be repetitive, composed of multiple, diverse signal sequences, unsampled or sampled, triggered, untriggered, or synchronized. The output signals can be generated as Continuous Wave( CW) or modulated with various modulation methods.