Tiny Fast Ethernet Transceiver Breaks 200 mW Per Port Barrier

Based on the companyÕs 0.18 µm, PHYreIce controlled-impedance driver transceiver core, the STE800P Fast Ethernet, octal transceiver claims two titles: the industryÕs smallest such device and the first to consume just 180 mW per port. Breaking the more common 200 mW per port figure, this low power consumption is reported even in the worst-case operating conditions, at 100% transmission, RX enabled, and minimum inter-packet delay. In terms of size, the device comes in a 180-pin LBGA package measuring just 12 mm2.Operating from a 1.8V core power supply, the transformer center taps and digital interface can be operated from either a 2.5V or 3.3V supply, allowing them to directly interface with any ASIC design. The device supports connection lengths of up to 150m over Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair copper cable and employs eight, full-duplex 10 Base-T/100 Base-TX transceivers. In addition, the chip supports a JTAG scan chain for in-circuit testing. For further information and pricing, contact STMICROELECTRONICS, INC., Agoura Hills, CA. (818) 865-6850.