In this video from DesignCon 2022, Keith Guetig, High-Speed Product Manager at Samtec, walks us through a live demonstration of a new Samtec high-speed cable system, coupled with new Xilinx advanced silicon, showing a 112 Gbps PAM4 system with outstanding performance.
This configuration shows how Samtec Flyover® cable assemblies can be used in mid-board applications. Actually, Samtec Flyover® cable systems can be used in mid-board, mid-board to front panel, mid-board to back panel, and panel-to-panel configurations.
Specifically, we’re looking at a Samtec AcceleRate® HP cable assembly, operating at 112 Gbps PAM4, as well as a Bulls Eye® high-performance test cable system.
It’s all driven by a Xilinx ® Versal™ Premium GTM transceiver. The Versal Premium ACAP allows vendors to position their network systems for 800 G and beyond.
Let’s begin by walking you through the signal path.
The Xilinx GTM transceiver generates two lanes of 31-bit, PRBS data at 112 Gbps PAM4 data rates.
Signals travel from the Xilinx ACAP through about 2” of trace in the Isola Itera MT40 test board, to a Samtec Bulls Eye® connector, the BE70A. Bulls Eye is a high-performance test system.
The signal travels from the BE70A, through 12” of low-loss microwave cable, and is terminated to Samtec precision 1.85 compression mount jacks. These 1.85 mm compression mount jacks are mounted on a Samtec SI Evaluation board.
The SI Evaluation board fans the signal out through a 2” trace to the solder ball termination of a Samtec AcceleRate HP high-speed cable assembly connector set. These are the APF6-L board level socket and ARG6 cable assembly.
Signals then route through 8” of 34 AWG Eye Speed® ultra-low skew twinax cable to the evaluation board, to end 2 of the AcceleRate HP cable system.
The signal exits that board through more 1.85 mm compression jacks, back to the Bulls Eye test point connector, and back to the Xilinx Versal ACAP for analysis.
The results are great. And please keep in mind this is a 112 Gbps PAM4 system.
The slicer eye pattern shows four levels of recovered, equalized PAM4 signals, at e-9 BER.
The total insertion loss, ball-to-ball, is -27 dB at 28 GHz. The AcceleRate HP cable assembly accounts for less the -6 dB loss at 28 GHz.
The total signal path length is one meter, with six interconnect transitions.
The new AcceleRate HP system combines extreme density and extreme performance, which is obviously critical as system sizes decrease while speeds increase.
Samtec Flyover cable systems can be used in mid-board, mid-board to front panel, mid-board to back panel, and panel-to-panel configurations.
If you have questions about this demonstration, contact us at SIG@samtec.com.
To learn more about Samtec’s line of 112 Gbps PAM4 connector systems, go to Samtec.com/112.
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