PCIe 6.0 Data Routed From New Chip-Adjacent Connector To Front Panel

PCIe 6.0, optics, 112 Gbps PAM4, linear direct drives, PCIe over fiber. Samtec displayed a variety of live product demonstrations – both optical and copper – at OFC 2023.

Two demos, both in tandem with our partner Cadence, received much attention. Both demonstrated cutting-edge data rates, one at 112 Gbps PAM4, and the other is 64 GT/s, PCIe 6.0 data rates.

And both show excellent signal integrity performance from our Samtec Flyover^® High-Speed cable systems. This blog and video focus on PCIe Gen 6 solutions from Samtec and Cadence. 

A multi-lane Cadence PHY for PCI Express 6.0 is generating 64 GT/s PAM4 data. The signal travels through 2” of trace, to a Samtec Bulls Eye^® BE70A high-performance test point array. The signal then travels through low-loss microwave cable, to a Samtec Si-Fly™ SI Evaluation Board. Si-Fly is a low-profile Samtec Flyover cable system. (Check-out our line of SI Evaluation and Development Kits.)

We’re showing a double-ended Si-Fly cable assembly, with 8” of 34 AWG Samtec Eye Speed^®, Ultra-Low Skew twinax cable. Eye Speed is a proprietary, co-extruded design that optimizes signal integrity, bandwidth, and reach using twinax cable.

The signal travels from the second SI evaluation board, back to the Samtec Bulls Eye connector, and back to the Cadence PHY receiver for equalization and analysis.

And the analysis looks good. The Cadence software shows a BER of e-11 (or better) across the entire channel, with a clean histogram illustrating all four levels of the 64 GT/s PAM4 signaling.

The Samtec Si-Fly is an ultra-low profile cable system, targeted at ASIC-adjacent applications. It’s only 3.8 mm off the board, and it can reside under heat sinks or other cooling hardware on an ASIC.

It’s available in up to 16 differential pairs, and all channels are rated up to 112 Gbps PAM4 per lane.

Samtec Flyover Cable Systems enable next-gen performance in mid-board, front panel, backplane, and panel-to-panel applications.

For more information about Si-Fly, Samtec PCIe 6.0 products, or this demonstration, please email our technical experts at SIG@Samtec.com. And here’s a link to some recently-released SI Evaluation Kits.