Date: 06/11/2012

Error-free Chip-to-Chip signal transmission at Gb/S speed using redriver

Agilent has announced it has developed new redriver modeling solution in partnership with Maxim to solve the problem of signal distortion in high speed (multigigabit-per-second) data transmission from chip to chip on a complex PCB. Idea is to insert midchannel redriver circuit instead of using costly PCB laminate material.

Agilent says its new redriver modeling solution, fast techniques based on bit-by-bit channel simulation and the IBIS AMI flow are now available for these applications.

The models run in Agilent's ADS software, the tool that IC buyers (makers of data center and telecommunications equipment, for example) use to design these semiconductor chips into their systems.

"We've worked closely with Agilent to use SystemVue 2012 to develop prestandard AMI models of our MAX3997 10.3-Gbps Equalizer-Redriver, which our mutual customers can use," said Mahbubul Bari, models engineer at Maxim Integrated. "The AMI models run much more quickly than SPICE models. This speed lets equipment manufacturers explore the design space. They can plug the model into an end-to-end simulation in ADS 2012 and come up with the optimum combination of transmitter/receiver settings, their channel design and the Maxim redriver settings."

"It's been a win-win-win collaboration to work with Maxim as lead customer on this project," said Colin Warwick, product manager for high-speed digital design at Agilent EEsof EDA. "Maxim gets their redriver designed in quickly, Agilent tools become more valuable to mutual equipment-manufacturing customers, and those customers gain systems that meet performance specifications with low cost and fast time-to-market."