The oscilloscope has been a primary tool for electronic design engineers since the invention of that instrument, many years ago. The first decades o f oscilloscopes were “analog” in nature. WHITE PAPER Using a Digital Oscilloscope for Signal Analysis including a Practical Example of PLL Characterization Dr. Michael Lauterbach Wayne Swirnow LeCroy Corporation The oscilloscope has been a primary tool for electronic design engineers since the invention of that instrument, many years ago. The first decades of oscilloscopes were “analog” in nature. Their fundamental technology was the front end amplifier, sweep generator and―most particularly― the phosphor which was used to coat the screen of a CRT. That phosphor served as a memory element that briefly held the shape of the signal on the CRT for the viewer. The value of the scope was in its ability to trigger many times per second and overlay the phosphorescent images on the screen. Information concerning the waveshape of ……