NetLogic Microsystems announces dual-port 8.5G Fibre Channel PHY devices

NOVEMBER 2, 2009 -- NetLogic Microsystems Inc. has announced the production availability of the NLP1220 dual-port 8.5-Gbps Fibre Channel PHY repeater device with an integrated low-power equalization engine. NetLogic says the NLP1220 offers best-in-class power consumption and latency to customers developing next-generation data center switches and storage host bus adapters (HBAs).

The company asserts its NLP1220 PHY device offers superior transmit and receive jitter performance as a result of the integrated high-performance LC phase locked loop circuit and an advanced second-order clock-and-data recovery (CDR) design. NetLogic adds that the granular power-down modes for the transmit, receive, and equalizer circuitry, combined with an “innovative” analog/digital hybrid architecture, provide customers with “industry-leading” low power and low latency profiles for high-density data center applications.

Touting the device as the first dual-port Fibre Channel repeater with 2/4/8G capability as well as the first device with a dual-receiver analog front end, NetLogic says NLP1220 PHY device integrates the receiver and transmitter SerDes functions on a single chip with on-chip clock drivers, multiple loop-back features, and PBRS generation and verification for both the line side and system side. The integrated low-power equalization engine doubles the reach of FibreChannel signals on PCB traces and cables, supporting up to 15 m on 24/26 AWG cables and up to 10 m on 30 AWG cables.

The NLP1220 PHY device is currently available in a RoHS-compliant 12x12mm BGA package with industry-standard 1-mm ball pitch for ease of manufacturability. NetLogic Microsystems has completed interoperability testing of the NLP1220 device with “leading 8G FibreChannel controllers, backplanes, direct-attached, cables and SFP+ modules.”

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