Diodes Incorporated (Diodes) has announced a diverse product portfolio supporting the new PCI Express (PCIe) 5.0 protocol. This includes ReDrivers, switches, clock generators and clock buffers for portable and desktop computing, data center and high performance computing (HPC) product applications.
In this product portfolio, the most eye-catching model is the PI3EQX32908. This ReDriver supports the 32Gbps data rate specified by the PCIe 5.0 specification and has eight differential lanes with independent lane configurations. Linear equalization, output amplitude, and flat gain parameters are programmable to minimize signal loss and extend PCB trace lengths. Compliant with Modern Standby requirements, this device can consume less than 5mW in deep standby mode of the system it belongs to. In addition to PCIe 5.0 architecture, this ReDriver also supports SAS4 and CXL protocols.
The product launched at the same time as the PI3EQX32908 is one of the industry's first PCIe 5.0 switches: the PI2DBS32212. This is a dual differential channel device that operates bidirectionally, providing 2:1 passive multiplexing and demultiplexing. The switcher is uniquely designed with industry-leading dynamic electrical characteristics to minimize signal degradation. The bit-to-bit skew is 3ps (typ) and the channel-to-channel skew is only 10ps (typ). When operating at 16GHz, very low insertion loss and return loss of -2.7Db and -10.8dB are maintained, respectively. The 1.8V supply voltage and small size make this switcher ideal for portable electronics applications. The PI2DBS32212 is also compatible with USB4 Gen 2x1/Gen 3x1 and Thunderbolt™ 3 data signals.
In the application of emerging PCIe technology products, the PI6CG330440 is also introduced, which is a PCIe 5.0 clock generator with 19 outputs. Only a single reference input is required to generate 25MHz and 100MHz frequency outputs. This product has 7 outputs dedicated to 100MHz frequency signals and three dedicated to 25MHz frequency signals. The remaining nine optional outputs can drive 25MHz or 100MHz as required. Its patented design achieves extremely low jitter performance below 50fs.
The PI6CB332001A is a 20-output fan-out PCIe 5.0 clock buffer compliant with the Intel DB2000QL specification. Operating at PCIe 5.0 architecture speeds, the unit achieves minimal additive phase jitter, typically 20fs RMS. This provides engineers with greater signal integrity margins for design purposes.
The outputs of the PI6CG330440 and PI6CB332001A both use on-chip terminations, which can greatly reduce the number of external components required and save board space. Compatible with Intel CK440Q and Intel DB2000QL respectively, these two products can directly replace the clock generator/buffer in other server product applications, while also bringing higher performance.
Added Dr. Jin Zhao, Senior Vice President, Analog Business Group, Diodes, Inc., "The PCIe 5.0 specification is expected to double the available bandwidth in the future, which will greatly help various computing devices and data storage infrastructures. Improvements and access to technologies that ensure signal integrity and reduce loss have become more important than ever. Diodes has made a strong push to support PCIe technology and continues to introduce innovative products to meet the requirements of each generation of the protocol. Our new PCIe The 5.0 product portfolio will continue to build on this solid foundation."
The PI3EQX32908 is available in a 62-pin W-QFN package. The PI2DBS32212 is packaged in a 24-pin X1QFN package, occupying only 2.5mm x 2.5mm of PCB board space. The 100-pin UQFN package of the PI6CG330440 measures 8mm x 8mm x 0.6mm, and the 80-pin aQFN package of the PI6CB332001A occupies 6mm x 6mm of space.
