SATA 3Gbps and SAS Signal Integrity ICs by Pericom

Pericom Semiconductor Corporation, supplier of serial connectivity, signal integrity and timing technology, announced its next generation SATA 3Gbps and Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) signal conditioning products. These new products enable cost-effective implementation of next generation high bandwidth external SATA 3Gbps and SAS HDDs (Hard Disk Drives) for connectivity to PC notebook and desktop, digital set-top box and server system platforms.

  Example of PI2EQX3431 and PI2EQX3421 in notebook

Pericom’s new PI2EQX3431 SATA 3Gbps/SAS ReDriver IC is a one-port product that significantly improves the signal waveform integrity and total allowable distance when connecting next generation SATA 3Gbps or SAS 3.0Gbps HDDs to a ‘host’ (desktop, server, or set top box). This connection can be either external through a long cable, or internal through long PCB traces. External SATA is now a mainstream system feature for data and media storage expansion and backup, providing significantly improved performance over alternative solutions.

Along with the signal conditioning features, the new PI2EQX3421 serves as a 1:2 port switch to select between two HDDs (or alternatively, two hosts). All SATA 3Gbps/SAS ReDriver products have been validated with both Intel and AMD notebook and desktop PC platforms and these new products join Pericom’s other SATA 3Gbps/SAS ReDriver ICs, the PI2EQX3201, PI2EQX3202 and PI2EQX3232 products.

"A 3000Mbps SATA 3Gbps or SAS based HDD can outperform a 480Mbps USB2- based HDD by six times when used in external storage applications — a capability that is especially important to transfer today’s large media and data files," said Shaf Rahman, Pericom’s senior director of Switch and Interface products. "We estimate that more than 5% of all PC systems in 2009 will offer an external SATA port connection. Pericom’s SATA 3Gbps/SAS ReDriver products are specifically targeted to give our customers an edge in routing high bandwidth protocols. We already have a Tier 1 notebook customer using our new SATA 3Gbps ReDriver in their new platform with external SATA 3Gbps HDD port, with excellent performance results."

High-bandwidth signals allow much faster data transfer, but also present design implementation barriers including short trace or short cable lengths, and connector signal integrity issues. Pericom’s ReDriver signal integrity technology provides both receiver channel signal equalization and transmit channel signal conditioning, which eliminates noise and restores signal quality. This in turn enables the customer to implement his needed design across longer lengths of a cost-effective cable and multiple connectors without compromising signal integrity or system performance.

PI2EQX3421 & PI2EQX3431 SATA 3Gb/s & SAS ReDriver Key Features:

• 1-port SATA 3Gb/s/SAS differential signal conditioner (PI2EQX3431) enables 3.0Gbps communication over long cables and FR4 traces
• 1:2 port SATA 3Gb/s/SAS multiplexer/demux (PI2EQX3421) enables easy allocation of system resources, while insuring gigahertz signal quality
• Programmable receiver equalization provides input signal reconstruction and programmable transmitter amplitude allows optimized pre-compensation of the output signal for maximum trace/cable lengths
• Low-power operating and stand-by modes minimize power requirements

Pricing & Availability
PI2EQX3421 & PI2EQX3431 samples, evaluation kits, and production quantities are available now, and offered in Pb-free & Green packaging. 10Ku OEM pricing:

• PI2EQX3421 for $1.95
• PI2EQX3431 for $1.45

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