New Enterprise Solutions for 112 Gbps PAM4 Applications in Development from I-PEX

By Akira Yamanaka, Product Marketing, I-PEX

I-PEX is developing new solutions specifically for 112 Gbps PAM4 applications: LEAPWIRE™/ DUALINE™ series, Board-to-Board Connector for 112 Gbps PAM4. Click here to see our product video.

Development Background: In recent years, infrastructure telecommunication, such as servers and switches, have become increasingly faster in the enterprise market. The challenge is that conventional PCB trace transmission have large insertion losses with limited transmission distance.

A co-package system also faces the challenge of high-density packaging. I-PEX has started development of our new LEAPWIRE™/DUALINE™ series 112 Gbps PAM4 using high-speed twinax cables and 112 Gbps PAM4 board-to-board connection to solve these problems. These products will be used for transmission between chips inside equipment and connection to I/O connectors. LEAPWIRE™ is the new high-speed transmission jumper solution, DUALINE™ series is the actual connector.

Challenge: The problem is that the existing board transmission pattern (shown in Fig. 1) has high insertion loss in the PCB trace transmission. Also, because of the large connector size of the general jumper harness, the connector is placed far from the heat sink, and the I/O connector is connected through the board, resulting in a large transmission loss (shown in Fig. 2). In our proposed design (shown in Fig. 3), the connector height has a low profile, allowing for placement under the heat sink, putting it closer to the ASIC. Direct connection to I/O connectors is now possible, which helps reduce transmission loss. The small size of the connector also supports airflow measures.

I-PEX LEAPWIRE™ (Twinax Cable) can transmit approximately 10.3 times farther in the 28 GHz band than PCB transmission.

Co-Packaging Trend: Co-packaging is intended to address the challenges of bandwidth and power consumption. It is an advanced mixed-mounting technology that combines electronic components with an IC on a single substrate package. In the next step, it is envisioned that optics and electronic switching will be combined on a single substrate package. Reducing power consumption and thermal effects while reducing the footprint using this technology has become a challenge for the efficient support of high-speed networks. The system also allows the package itself to be replaced in the event of a failure, providing greater design flexibility. As previously mentioned, faster and more efficient transmission and higher density packaging are challenges. Smaller connectors and jumper solutions, which are capable of high-speed transmission, are needed.

The following new I-PEX solutions are in development to solve these issues.

DUALINE™ 195-HB

Product Features

Supports high-speed transmission, such as 112 Gbps PAM4
Uses Twinax Cable with excellent signal integrity performance
Low-profile design (H=3.0 mm)
Product can be placed under the heatsink, closer to the CPU to reduce transmission loss
Low-profile design (H=3.0 mm) and small size (D=11.0 mm W=40.0 mm)
Small product size supports airflow measures in equipment
Has mechanical lock to prevent un-mating

Product Specifications

DUALINE™ 110-VB-M

Product Features

Supports high-speed transmission such as 112 Gbps PAM4
Uses Twinax Cable with excellent signal integrity performance
Supports Co-Package system. Small space-saving product for high-density mounting
Multi-pin array, 64 pair (16 differential pair x 4 rows)

Product Specifications

Board-to-Board (Optics or other mezzanine applications)

Product Features

Supports high-speed transmission such as 112 Gbps PAM4
Supports Co-Package system. Small space-saving product for high-density mounting
Height=1.5 mm, Depth=14.9 mm, Width=13.6 mm
Multi-pin array, 16 pair (4 differential pair x 4 rows) + 40 pin (low-speed signal)