Gigabit Ethernet integrated circuit

Feb. 1, 1998

The main amplifier section of the MC2046 limiting amplifier takes the output of the pin/preamplifier photoreceiver and raises it to pecl levels. Input sensitivity of 4mV exceeds Gigabit Ethernet specifications. A separate level-detect circuit gives pecl logic outputs showing whether the received signal is above the user-specified threshold. The user can also choose to connect two pins to enable an automatic squelch function, freezing the data outputs when the received signal is below threshold. The unit automatically supports both industry-standard voltages of 5 and 3.3V.

Microcosm Communications Ltd., West Sussex, UK