Mindspeed Enables High-Density 100 Gigabit Systems with a Family of Lowest-Power 28G Clock and Data Recovery Devices

Devices are Demonstrated in Molex’s Fully Retimed 100G zQSFP+ Active Optical Cables

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Mindspeed Technologies, Inc. (NAS: MSPD) , a leading supplier of semiconductor solutions for network infrastructure and data center applications, today announced the industry’s lowest-power clock and data recovery (CDR) devices capable of supporting data rates up to 28 gigabits per second (Gbps). Low power dissipation is a critical requirement for small form factor interconnects for the 100 Gigabit Ethernet, InfiniBand and optical transport systems enabling port densities that the industry must achieve in order to handle increasing Internet traffic and escalating online video content demand.

Mindspeed®’s four channel CDRs support data rates required for multiple standards including 100G Ethernet, InfiniBand Enhanced Data Rate (EDR), 32G Fibre Channel and Optical Transport Network (OTU-4). The low-power solution enables next-generation optical and copper module form factors, such as CFP-2, CFP-4 and Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable (QSFP). Mindspeed’s CDRs integrate key features, such as an input equalizer and output de-emphasis to optimize link performance and support line card retiming applications as well as loopback for system level diagnostics. The devices are reference-free, eliminating the need for reference crystal oscillators thus reducing the number of components and cost required to implement a retiming function. Further, the devices include input equalization circuitry to support lossy channels and support a wide output amplitude range to seamlessly interoperate with optical assemblies.

Molex Incorporated
has used Mindspeed’s CDRs to demonstrate the industry’s first, fully retimed 100Gbps zQSFP+ Active Optical Cable meeting stringent power consumption and thermal constraints of a small modular form factor.

“In the drive to match 100Gbps port count density to current 10Gbps interconnect levels, system OEMs require small front panel pluggable modules, which will enable tenfold increase in front panel bandwidth density. This creates a challenge for interconnect manufacturers to meet the power consumption and thermal constraints of QSFP modules,” said Adit Narasimha, director of new product development at Molex, Inc. “Molex’s silicon photonics-based zQSFP+ solutions in combination with Mindspeed’s low power CDRs are the first to demonstrate 100Gbps small form factor modules with retiming in both transmit and receive directions.”

The new devices complement Mindspeed’s family …read more
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