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April 13, 2009 -- In conjunction with the Intel Developer's Forum, Beijing, China, Pericom Semiconductor Corp. has introduced a new family of enhanced Serial ATA (SATA-2) signal conditioning products for connecting external SATA 3 Gb/s HDD within PC, notebook, digital set top box and server systems. Pericom's PCIe 2.0 ReDriver also became the first signal conditioner to pass the PCI-SIG plug fest's rigorous interoperability testing, and was awarded with certification and acceptance to the PCI-SIG Integrator List. Both SATA-2 and PCIe 2.0 ReDrivers are shipping in high-growth notebook and blade-server market segments, reports Pericom.
SATA-2 ReDriver product introduction
The new SATA-2 ReDrivers are 1-port SATA-2 ReDriver ICs that connect a hard disk drive (HDD) across long cable or PCB traces, internally or externally to the host system. The three new products offer unique configuration technology and capability, contends Pericom. The PI3EQX3851 and PI3EQX4951 allow continuously variable analog adjustment of key parameters for signal optimization. Input equalization can be adjusted for optimum data recovery under different trace/cable/connector configurations.
"The market growth for eSATA ports has more than doubled year to year for volume notebook and PC platforms, [according to] Gartner Reports' August 2008 [analysis]", says Ken Curt, Pericom's product marketing manager for Serial ATA products. "Our SATA ReDrivers are designed into the majority of these platforms, confirming our performance and reliability, and our latest ReDrivers take these advantages even further."
PCIe ReDriver PCI-SIG Integrator's List certification
Pericom also recently earned PCI-SIG Integrator's List certification for its PI2EQX5804 PCIe 2.0 ReDriver, the first signal conditioning IC to do so. The product was in full compliance with all the PCIe product platforms during the stringent interoperability testing which demonstrates the ability to 'plug and play' with other vendor products/systems under PCI-SIG standards.
"This PCI-SIG certification confirms the successful adoption of our PCIe 2.0 ReDriver family, especially across our blade-server market-segment customers," offers Bill Weir, senior director of marketing at Connect Products Group. Our PCIe-certified signal integrity solutions are the "defacto" signal conditioner for blade servers: the ReDriver directly addresses long PCB backplane and multi-connector signal integrity issues of top-tier blade server vendors."
Blade servers are a fast-growing segment with almost 20% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) - twice the growth rate of the overall sever market, according to Gartner Reports, August 2008.
PI3EQX3811, PI3EQX3851, PI3EQX4951 SATA-2 ReDriver key features:
* 1-port SATA-2 differential signal conditioning at 3.0Gbps, enables reliable communication over long cables and FR4 traces
* Configurable receiver equalization, provides optimal recovery of low-level, noisy signals
* Configurable transmitter amplitude and emphasis (analog and digital options), allows optimized pre-compensation of the output signal for maximum trace/cable lengths
* 3.3V operation (1.5-1.8V option on PI3EQX3851) with low power stand-by modes minimize power requirements
PI2EQX5804, PI2EQX5864 PCIe 2.0 ReDriver key features:
* Supports 4 lanes (8 differential channels) of PCIe 2.0 5Gbps Interface
* Pin strapped or I2C configuration for Tx and Rx equalization settings
* Configurable Receiver Equalization, transmitter amplitude and de-emphasis, and variable input and output termination.
* Single supply voltage at 1.2V minimizes power requirements
* Available in space-saving 100-pin LBGA (5804) or 56-pad TQFN (5864) packages
I3EQX3811, PI3EQX3851 and PI3EQX4951 are available now and are offered in 20-pad, Pb-free and Green packaging. Suggested OEM pricing is $0.85 @ 10Ku. PI2EQX5804 and PI2EQX5864 are available now in Pb free and Green packaging. Suggested OEM retail pricing for 10Ku quantity: 5804 = $7.55, 5864 = 7.25.
