Date: 18/04/2012

2 Terabits/s crosspoint switch from Mindspeed for broadcasting and telecom apps

Mindspeed Technologies has announced it has extended its line of asynchronous, crosspoint switches to include 12.8 gigabits per second (Gbps), 160x160 device with two terabits per second (Tbps) switching capacity.

"Mindspeed's M21605 enables our customers to bring leading edge solutions to market as they pave the way for the industry's migration to higher data rates, in support of emerging ultra-high definition TV (UHDTV) formats," said Gary Shah, vice president of product marketing for the high-performance analog (HPA) business unit at Mindspeed.

Mindspeed's 160x160 M21605 crosspoint switch combines multi-rate broadcast video routing and switching in a single device, with each switching path operating independently at any data rate of up to 12.8 Gbps. The resulting, groundbreaking bandwidth provides a critical ingredient for broadcast equipment manufacturers who are designing and building next-generation higher-speed systems capable of supporting serial uncompressed UHDTV serial digital interface (SDI) covering both rates at 10.692 Gbps and 11.88 Gbps. The device supports higher-density HD/3G systems by enabling transmission of up to four 3G SDI streams or eight HD SDI streams. The crosspoint switch is backward-compatible with lower-speed SDI interfaces, providing a seamless migration path to higher data rates.

For telecommunications applications, the M21605 crosspoint switch supports 10 Gigabit ethernet, optical transport channel unit 2 (OTU2), 8G and 10G fibre channel, 12.5 Gbps for two times RXAUI and proprietary data rates. This device further extends the crosspoint switch switches spanning 2x2 to 288x288 matrix sizes. Mindspeed's crosspoint switches feature integrated signal-conditioning technology that enables them to send error-free data at high data rates over difficult channels by compensating for signal losses accumulated across long board traces. This device can be used in high-speed backplane switching applications.

Technical Details
Each input of the M21605 crosspoint switch is equipped with an adaptive equalizer capable of compensating for up to 25 decibels (dB) of loss at 12.8 Gbps, which ensures high throughput while simplifying design and reducing system development costs by not having to spend time optimizing each channel. The device also features ultra-low jitter, which is a critical requirement for crosspoint switches of this speed and size. Its programmable transmit drivers have three-tap programmable output pre-emphasis and adjustable swing for link optimization. The M21605 also features integrated diagnostic features, such as programmable loss of signal (LOS) and temperature sensor capabilities for system-level performance monitoring. The device has exceptionally low per-port power consumption, and can be operated from a single 1.8V supply.

Mindspeed will be demonstrating the M21544 at the 2012 NAB show at its booth (#N1112) in the North hall of the Las Vegas convention center in Las Vegas, NV, April 16-19, 2012.

The M21605 crosspoint switch is packaged in a 45x45mm ball grid array (BGA). Evaluation platforms are now available.