There’s no end to the demand for bandwidth. Everything from 5G networks, streaming video, social media, augmented and virtual reality, and artificial intelligence and machine learning, are all pushing current-bandwidth limits. The next level is 224 Gbps PAM4.
Visitors at DesignCon 23 saw promises and glimpses of 224 Gbps equipment and components. We are excited that we debuted our first 224 Gbps PAM4 live product demonstration.
In this video, Ralph Page, Systems Architect at Samtec, walks us through the equipment, signal path, and performance.
In this demonstration, we have a Synopsys® 224 Ethernet PHY IP, transmitting 32-bit, PRBS data at 224 Gbps PAM4.
The signal travels through 1.5” of trace to a Samtec BullsEye® BE70A high-performance test point connector. This board is made of AGC Fast Rise 27 and NF-30.
From the Bulls Eye, the signal travels through 6” of low-loss microwave cable, to a Samtec 1.35 mm precision RF connector.
This connects with a Keysight N1000A oscilloscope mainframe with an included N1060A waveform analyzer.
The Synopsys PHY is transmitting 56 GHz Nyquist, and the Samtec BE70A connector handles it with aplomb (that’s Ralph’s word; I don’t think I’ve ever used that word in a sentence, until this blog).
The results are excellent: we see a wide-open-eye diagram.
Note that the BE70A is rated to 70 GHz, but it’s handling 224 Gbps PAM4.
And coming soon is the next generation Bulls Eye, the BE90A, which is rated to 90 GHz.
As 112 Gbps PAM4 production silicon is only now becoming available on the market, it’s exciting that Samtec is already making significant inroads into 224 Gbps. We’ll keep you posted on our progress.
If you have questions about this demonstration, please contact us at SIG@samtec.com.
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