Integrated DeviceTechnology
Integrated DeviceTechnology
Signal Integrity Products
With the increase of signal speeds in the computing, storage and communications applica-
tions, system designers face greater signal integrity challenges. The Signal Integrity Prod-
uct (SIP) portfolio from Integrated Device Technology provides signal conditioning devices
for popular multi-gigabit per second IO protocols delivering signal quality over extended
distances while offering simplified design by alleviating board layout constraints.
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TARGET APPLICATIONS
Repeaters:
PCI Express
®
Gen 2 Applications
• Blade servers
• Storage systems
• Cabled PCIe devices
• Notebooks & Docking stations
• Mux, Demux, and Switch
USB 3.0 Applications
• Workstations & Desktops
• Notebooks & Docking stations
• Peripheral USB devices
SAS/SATA Applications
• Servers & Workstations
• Notebooks & Docking stations
• External SATA storage drives
• SAS port expanders
Serial RapidIO
®
Applications
• ATCA blades
• Wireless systems
• Military VITA-41 & VPX systems
XAUI Applications
• Routers & Switches
• ATCA blades
• PON access systems
• Blade servers
Other Applications
• Common public radio interface (CPRI)
• Open base station architecure (OBSAI)
• Infiniband
Figure 1: Typical Signal Deterioration Over Long Channels
Signal Integrity Challenge
High speed signals can deteriorate to unaccept-
able levels by the time they reach end receivers,
due to transmitter, receiver, and channel charac-
teristics (see figure above).
IDT Repeaters and Retimers
Resolve Signal Integrity Challenges
IDT’s Family of Repeaters and Retimers is specifi-
cally designed to resolve the issue shown in the
above figure and to ensure minimized jitter and
maximized eye opening at the target receiver by
compensating for cable and PCB trace attenua-
tion and ISI jitter. This is accomplished by boost-
ing the transmitted signal, by equalizing the re-
ceived signal, or by doing both when either option
by itself is not sufficient due to channel length or
due to discontinuities generated by vias and con-
nectors. In addition, IDT Retimers minimize ran-
dom jitter, further increasing signal quality.
well as diagnostic features that help IDT custom-
ers achieve a simplified design with faster time-
to-market. Specifically, the devices drive long
on-board traces, backplane traces and cables to
external devices to ensure optimum system per-
formance. In addition, they include loss of signal
(LOS) detection and individual channel loopback
diagnostic capabilities as well as 2:1 mux/demux
functions. Devices support 2, 4, or 8 differential
channels, configurable via I
2
C, control pins, or
EEPROM. The devices offer power-saving modes
for the lowest possible power consumption.
IDT Retimers
The IDT Retimer devices are the industry’s first
signal-conditioning parts fully compliant with
the PCIe 3.0 specification. They are compliant to
the PCIe Automatic Link Equalization procedure,
easing system design and enhancing reliabil-
ity with any PCIe-compliant expansion card or
host bus adapter. IDT Retimers are designed to
improve signal integrity and to more than double
maximum PCB trace and cable lengths. These
devices minimize both random and deterministic
jitter from the input signal before transmitting it
out to target devices.
IDT Repeaters and Retimers are ideal for solv-
ing signal integrity problems in blade servers,
enterprise storage, communication systems, and
cloud computing.
SIGNAL INTEGRITY PRODUCT FAMILY OVERVIEW
1
Retimers
PCI Express
®
Gen 3 Applications
• Computing
• Storage
• Communications
• Consumer electronics
IDT Repeaters
The IDT SIP family of repeater devices include
support for: 5Gbps PCI Express
®
(PCIe) Gen2,
USB 3.0, 6Gbps SAS/SATA; 6.25Gbps Serial
RapidIO
®
2.1, and other standards for computing,
storage and communications applications.
SIP devices incorporate advanced receive equal-
ization and transmit de-emphasis capabilities, as
For help or more information:
Hotline: (408) 284 8208
email: siphelp@idt.com
IDT
| THE ANALOG + DIGITAL COMPANY
Integrated Device Technology
REPEATERS
REPEATER FEATURES
• Compensates for cable and PCB trace attenuation
and ISI jitter
• Programmable receiver equalization up to 30db
• Programmable de-emphasis up to -8.5dB
• Recovers data stream even when the differential
signal eye is completely closed due to trace
attenuation and ISI jitter
• Full PCIe protocol support
• SAS/SATA, Out of Board (OOB) Support
• Configurable via external pins, while
extended programming ranges are available
via I
2
C interface
• Supports automatic download of configuration
from external EEPROM with a single or multiple
repeaters on I
2
C bus
• Power minimization in active and shutdown modes
• No external bias resistors or reference
clocks required
• Channel mux mode, demux mode, 1 to 2 channels
multicast, and Z-switch function mode
REPEATER BENEFITS
• Extends maximum cable length to over
10 meters and trace length over 65 inches in
PCIe applications
• Speeds up system design time by allowing
usage of longer trace and cable lengths
• Minimizes BER
PCIe APPLICATIONS — REPEATERS
Blade
Back Plane
Blade
Blade Servers
Blade servers inherently require the use of long
interconnects and multiple connectors to trans-
fer signals between blades. IDT PCIe Repeaters
can be used to transmit boosted signals into
backplanes and to recover from long trace-re-
lated and connector-related signal attenuations
and jitter at the receiving end. See Figure 2.
Chipset
PCIe
(Trace)
Repeater
x16 PCIe
(Trace)
Figure 2: Blade Server Application
Repeater
PCIe
(Trace)
Chipset
Storage
Similar to blade server applications, Storage Area
Networks (SAN) face a challenge of transferring
reliable PCIe signals between redundant storage
processors. IDT PCIe Repeaters can boost trans-
mitted signals and restore noisy and attenuated
signals at the receiving end. See Figure 3.
Storage Processor Card
Mid Plane
Storage Processor Card
Chipset
PCIe
(Trace)
Repeater
PCIe
(Trace)
Repeater
PCIe
(Trace)
Chipset
Cabled PCIe Systems
There are various system applications using
cables to transmit PCIe signals between chassis
(see Figure 4). Networking and storage equip-
ment, medical instrumentation, data acquisition
systems such as scopes and protocol analyzers,
and peripheral devices are just a few examples
of PCIe cabled systems. IDT Repeaters permit the
use of less expensive and longer cables, allow-
ing for significant savings and improving distance
constraints. Expensive PCIe cables can be re-
placed with less expensive ones for a significant
savings. See Figure 4.
Figure 3: Storage Application
System A
PCIe
Repeater
(Cable)
System B
Chipset
PCIe
(Trace)
Repeater
PCIe
(Trace)
Chipset
Notebooks and Docking Stations
PCIe connectors available in docking stations
need to pass the compliance test. This is a chal-
2
SIGNAL INTEGRITY PRODUCT FAMILY OVERVIEW
Figure 4: Cabled PCIe Application
IDT
| THE ANALOG + DIGITAL COMPANY | www.IDT.com
Signal Integrity Product Overview
lenging test, since a signal’s quality degrades as
it passes from the chipset inside the notebook,
through traces and connectors. IDT Repeaters
can be used at the PCIe connector inside the
docking station to resolve this issue. See Figure 5.
Notebook
Docking Station
PCIe Connector
End
Point
Back Panel
USB 3.0 Port
Chipset
PCIe
(Trace)
PCIe
(Trace)
Repeater
Mux, Demux, and Switch Applications
IDT PCIe Repeaters permit a variety of muxing
(2 links to 1 link), demuxing (1 link to 2 links), and
switching configurations (2 links to 2 links) sup-
porting long traces and cables (see Figure 6). De-
tailed information on all these configurations can
be found in the “Channel muxing” sections of IDT
PCIe Repeater data sheets.
Figure 5: Notebook Application
Host
PCIe
Repeater
PCIe
EQ
PCIe
USB 3.0 APPLICATIONS — REPEATERS
Host
Workstations and Desktops
Workstations and desktops, due to their size, in-
herently require the use of long interconnects to
transfer signals from internal boards to front and
back panel USB ports. Each USB 3.0 port needs
to pass the compliance test. This can be a chal-
lenging test, since a signal’s quality degrades as
it passes from the USB 3.0 controller, through
traces, cables, and connectors, to the USB ports.
To resolve this issue, IDT USB Repeaters can be
used at both back panel and front panel USB 3.0
ports to restore the signals at the ports and pre-
vent compliance test issues. See Figure 7.
Figure 6: Mux / Demux Application
Front Panel
Front Panel Card
0 ot
USB 3.0 Port
Repeater
Workstation or Desktop
Internal
Cable
Connector
USB 3.0
(Trace)
USB
Controller
USB 3.0
(Trace)
Repeater
B
3.0 (Trace)
0
rac
USB
3
.0
(
T
ra
ce)
Figure 7: Workstation and Desktop Application
Notebooks and Docking Stations
Docking stations using USB 3.0 connectors need
to pass USB compliance, which is measured at
a USB 3.0 port. This is a challenging test, since
a signal’s quality degrades as it passes from the
chip set (Figure 8) or USB 3.0 controller (Figure
9) inside the notebook, through traces and con-
nector on its path, to a USB 3.0 port. IDT USB Re-
peaters can be used at the USB 3.0 port inside
the docking station to boost the signal at the port,
thereby resolving the degradation issue.
Notebook
Docking Station
USB 3.0 Port
USB 3.0 Port
Chipset
USB 3.0
(Trace)
USB 3.0
(Trace)
Repeater
Connector
Figure 8: Notebook Application with Chipset Containing USB
3.0 Controller
Peripheral USB 3.0 Devices
In cases where peripheral USB devices, such
as hard disk drives, solid state drives, printers,
and wireless routers, are placed at a significant
distance from the USB host system (desktop,
notebook, workstation, etc.), the signals transmit-
ted across long cables might be degraded to the
point of being unrecoverable at the receiving end.
With signal pre-conditioning, IDT USB Repeaters
reduce the effect of degradation and enable the
www.IDT.com | THE ANALOG + DIGITAL COMPANY |
IDT
Notebook
Docking Station
Chipset
USB 3.0
Controller
USB 3.0
(Trace)
USB 3.0
(Trace)
Repeater
Connector
Figure 9: Notebook Application with USB 3.0 Controller Not Included in ChipsetController
SIGNAL INTEGRITY PRODUCT FAMILY OVERVIEW
3
Integrated Device Technology
use of very long USB 3.0 cables. With IDT USB
Repeaters, inexpensive and lower quality cables
can also be used for cost-sensitive applications.
To ensure successful signal reception at both
ends, it is recommended that IDT USB Repeaters
be placed near the USB 3.0 ports inside the host
and peripheral device. See figure 10.
USB 3.0 Host
USB 3.0 Port
Chipset
USB 3.0
Cable
USB 3.0 Peripheral
USB 3.0 Port
Target
USB 3.0
Device
Repeater
Repeater
B 3
(Trace)
)
USB 3.0 (Trace)
3.0
B 3
(Trace)
)
USB 3.0 (Trace)
3.0
SAS, SATA APPLICATIONS — REPEATERS
Servers and Workstations
In a server, storage drives (HDD or SSD) are
plugged directly into a midplane card, which con-
nects to the main system board containing CPUs
and HBAs. During the transmission of SAS or
SATA signals between CPUs/HBAs and storage
drives, signals are significantly degraded as they
pass through long traces on system and midplane
boards and multiple connectors. IDT SAS/SATA
Repeaters can be used to ensure that differential
eye opening at the receiver exceeds 6Gbps SAS
and SATA receiver standard specifications. The
figures below depict the use of IDT repeaters in
6Gbps SATA-based data transfers (Figure 11) and
in 6Gbps SAS-based applications (Figure 12).
Figure 10: Application with Peripheral USB 3.0 Devices
System Board
Chipset
with SATA
Controller
Midplane
Midplane
Board
Stor
Storage
SAS
(Trace)
Repeater
S
SSD/HDD
S
SSD/HDD
S
SSD/HDD
S
SSD/HDD
S
S-RIO
SSD/HDD
S
SSD/HDD
(Trace)
S
SSD/HDD
S
SSD/HDD
C
on
n
ec
t
or
onnect
Connector
Figure 11: Server Application with Chipset Containing 6Gbps SATA Controller
Notebooks and Docking Stations
Notebooks and Docking Stations using eSATA
connectors for peripheral storage devices need
to pass SAS/SATA compliance, which is mea-
sured at 6Gbps SAS or SATA port. This is a chal-
lenging test, since the signal’s quality degrades
as it passes from the SATA/eSATA adapter card,
through traces and connectors on its path, before
reaching the 6Gbps eSATA port. IDT SAS/SATA
Repeaters can be used at the 6Gbps SAS or SATA
port inside the docking station to restore signal
quality at the port and prevent compliance failure
issues. See Figure 13.
System Board
Midplane Board
Storage
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
S-RIO
SSD/HDD
(Trace)
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
Chipset
SAS
Controller
SAS
(Trace)
Repeater
SAS
(Trace)
Connector
Figure 12: Server Application with 6Gbps SAS Controller
External SATA Storage Hard Drives
and Solid State Drives
In cases where peripheral SATA storage devices,
such as hard disk drives or solid state drives, are
placed a significant distance away from the SATA
host system (desktop, notebook, workstation,
etc.), the signal transmitted across long cables
might be degraded to the point of being unrecov-
erable at the receiving end. IDT SAS/SATA Re-
peaters resolve this issue and enable the use of
very long 6Gbps SAS/SATA cables. With IDT SAS/
SATA Repeaters, inexpensive and lower quality
cables can also be used.
4
SIGNAL INTEGRITY PRODUCT FAMILY OVERVIEW
Notebook
Repeater
eSATA Port
Docking Station
eSATA Port
Chipset
SATA
(Trace)
Connector
Repeater
Figure 13: Notebook and Docking Station Application
IDT
| THE ANALOG + DIGITAL COMPANY | www.IDT.com
Signal Integrity Product Overview
To ensure successful signal reception at both
ends, it is recommended that IDT SAS/SATA Re-
peaters be placed near the 6Gbps SAS or SATA
ports inside the host and peripheral device. See
Figure 14.
Notebook or PC
eS
ot
eSATA Port
Chipset
SATA/
eSATA
adapter
card
eSATA
Cable
SATA storage
S
ot
eSATA Port
HDD,
SSD
Repeater
Repeater
R
e
peater
Repeater
SAS Port Expanders
One of the important features of the 6Gbps SAS
protocol is its ability to increase storage capac-
ity via SAS Port Expanders. The standard allows
up to 255 expanders, which can translate to Pet-
abytes of total storage within a single system. The
host system communicates with the expanders
through cables that can be up to 10 meters long.
To pass SAS compliance, both host system and
port expander SAS ports need to deliver high sig-
nal quality so that the transmitted signals, attenu-
ated by long cables, can be correctly received.
IDT SAS Repeaters can be used at the 6Gbps SAS
port inside the host system and port expanders to
boost transmitted signals, to restore the received
signals at the port, and assure reliable operation.
See Figure 15.
(USB 3.0 Trace)
Connector
Figure 14: External SATA Storage Application
System Board
Midplane Board
Port Expander
SAS
(
cable
)
Expander unit
Port Expander
SAS
(
cable
)
Expander unit
Repeater
Repeater
SAS
cables
Storage
Chipset
SAS
Controller
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
Repeater
S-RIO
Storage
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
SSD/HDD
Connector
Port
SAS
cables
S-RIO APPLICATIONS — REPEATERS
Figure 15: Port Expanders Application
ATCA Blades
ATCA blades inherently require the use of long in-
terconnects and multiple connectors to transfer
signals between blades. IDT Serial RapidIO Re-
peaters can be used to transmit boosted signals
into backplanes and to recover from long trace-
related and connector-related signal attenua-
tions and jitter at the receiving end. See Figure 16.
ATCA Blade
Back Plane
ATCA Blade
Chipset
S-RIO
(Trace)
Repeater
S-RIO
(Trace)
Repeater
S-RIO
(Trace)
Chipset
Wireless Systems
Carrier grade wireless systems are designed for
scalability via (1) backplane-based modular de-
signs or (2) a combination of midplane cards and
external expansion cards. In the first case, during
the transmission of Serial RapidIO packets be-
tween S-RIO cards, signals are significantly de-
graded as they pass through long trace lines on
backplane boards, two connectors, and several
vias. IDT S-RIO Repeaters can be used to ensure
that differential eye openings at the receiver ex-
ceed 6.25Gbps S-RIO receiver standard specifi-
cations. Figure 17 depicts the use of IDT repeat-
ers in wireless systems with backplanes
In the second case, the main controller card
needs to communicate both with an internal ex-
pansion card through midplane card traces and
www.IDT.com | THE ANALOG + DIGITAL COMPANY |
IDT
Figure 16: ATCA Blade Application
Baseband processing board
Back Plane
Baseband processing board
DSP
units
S-RIO
switch
Repeater
S-RIO
(Trace)
Repeater
S-RIO
switch
DSP
units
Figure 17: Wireless Systems with Backplanes
SIGNAL INTEGRITY PRODUCT FAMILY OVERVIEW
5
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