Fast Ethernet Fiber Transceiver Replaces Three Parts Per Port

Aug. 1, 1998
The ML6696, a fiber-optic Fast Ethernet transceiver IC, replaces three devices per port in the design of network interface cards, repeaters and switches. It integrates the entire 100Base-FX physical layer, LED driver and post amplifier (quantizer).The

The ML6696, a fiber-optic Fast Ethernet transceiver IC, replaces three devices per port in the design of network interface cards, repeaters and switches. It integrates the entire 100Base-FX physical layer, LED driver and post amplifier (quantizer).The chip is fully compliant with the 100Base-FX IEEE 802.3u standard for data transmission using a wavelength of 1300 nm. Perhaps more importantly, the chip supports the emerging 100Base-SX standard being developed by the Telecommunication Industry Association. That standard holds the promise of per-port cost reductions by virtue of its basis on a 820-nm wavelength, thus enabling use of less costly optical components. The ML6696 includes 4B/5B encoder/decoder, 125-MHz clock recovery and generation, as well as the LED driver and post amplifier. In power-down mode, it consumes less than 20 mA.

About the Author

Staff

Articles, galleries, and recent work by members of Electronic Design's editorial staff.

Sponsored Recommendations

Comments

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Electronic Design, create an account today!