Gigabit Ethernet Transceivers Employ Novel Architecture

Employing the companyÕs IntelliRate oversampling architecture, the Everest family ofgigabit Ethernet transceivers is said to achieve higher performance while consuming less power than competing designs. The transceiver family consists of one single-port and two quad-port devices, the MA1110 and MA1140/41, respectively. Each is a single-chip10Base-T/100Base-TX/1000Base-T PHY that is fully compliant with 802.3, 802.3u and 802.3ab standards. The MA1110 offers GMII, MII and TBI interfaces; the MA1140 offers RGMII, GMII, MII, TBI and RTBI; and the MA1141 offers RGMII, MII and RTBI. The use of IntelliRate reportedly marks the first time oversampling technology has been deployed in the gigabit Ethernet market. IntelliRate samples at 250 MHzÑversus 125 MHz for traditional architecturesÑand thus achieves a better signal-to-noise ratio, which leads to a better bit error rate, the company says. Other stated benefits are faster start-up time and robust performance over a wider range of cables. Also, by sampling faster, IntelliRate gathers more information, thereby reducing the number of bits required for the analog-to-digital conversion process and relaxing the specs for other components in the analog front-end. The company says this results in the lowest power analog front-end on the market. The Everest family also incorporates extensive on-board diagnostic capabilities, called IntelliProbe and IntelliTune. These features are said to aid the successful implementation of 100X performance over the existing copper infrastructure. The MA110, packaged in a 128-pin PQFP, dissipates 1.6W, costs $15 each/10K, and is currently sampling. The MA1140, housed in a 352-pin TBGA, and the MA1141, housed in a 256-pin TBGA, dissipate 1.3W/port and are scheduled to start sampling in Q2. More details area available from MASSANA INC., Santa Clara, CA. (408) 988-4148.