5G Ready Jitter Attenuators

New Si539x Jitter Cleaners Help Pave the Way to Higher Port Count Fronthaul, Backhaul, Metro/Core and Data Center Designs 

AUSTIN, Texas – June 20, 2019 – Silicon Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB) has expanded its family of Si539x jitter attenuators with new device options featuring a fully integrated reference, enhancing system reliability and performance while simplifying PCB layout in high-speed networking designs. The new Si539x jitter attenuators are purpose-built to address the demanding reference clock requirements of 100/200/400/600/800G designs, providing more than 40 percent margin to the stringent jitter requirements of 56G PAM-4 SerDes used in state-of-the-art Ethernet switch SoCs, PHYs, FPGAs and ASICs, while providing a solution that is future-proofed for emerging 112G SerDes designs.

“Network equipment providers are racing to develop higher speed, higher capacity gear capable of handling 5G wireless traffic. This transition is driving the need for higher performance timing solutions for fronthaul/backhaul, metro/core and data center applications,” said James Wilson, General Manager of Timing Products at Silicon Labs. “FPGAs and PHYs with integrated 56 Gbps SerDes enable higher capacity 100/200/400/600/800G optical and Ethernet line cards but face increasingly complex circuit board design and layout challenges. By integrating the reference inside Silicon Labs’ latest Si539x jitter attenuators, we are helping to ease the industry migration to higher port count, higher capacity 100/200/400/600/800G designs.”

Improved system reliability and performance – The new Si539x jitter attenuators integrate a highly reliable crystal that has been fully tested over temperature and pre-screened for activity dips. The Si539x devices have been fully qualified over a broad range of reliability tests including shock, vibration, temperature cycling and crystal aging. The tightly specified crystal and innovative device construction reduce crystal sensitivity to temperature changes caused by system fans, leading to more consistent, reliable operation.

High acoustic emission noise immunity – The integrated reference device construction provides higher immunity to acoustic emissions (AE) than external crystal-based designs. AE is the radiation of noise waves that occurs when a printed circuit board (PCB) is subject to temperature gradients or external mechanical forces that cause micro-cracks or plastic deformation in the PCB assembly. Unlike a discrete crystal that suffers from greater frequency error due to AE, the Si539x device’s innovative package construction isolates and protects the crystal from AE noise, ensuring reliable operation and a consistent frequency response over time.

Space savings – Customers designing high-port-count optical and Ethernet line cards place a premium on reducing overall board space. By using a jitter attenuator with an integrated reference, developers can minimize the PCB footprint by more than 35 percent. As an added benefit, an integrated reference eliminates the need for the keep-out area under the crystal, enabling denser clock routing around the device and further simplifying PCB layout.

Frequency flexibility and clock distribution – The Si539x devices generate any combination of frequencies from 100 Hz to 1028 MHz on up to 12 differential clock outputs, eliminating the need for standalone clock generators and clock buffers. These benefits enable “clock-tree-on-a-chip” clocking while eliminating the additive jitter associated with discrete clock tree solutions.

Pricing and Availability

Samples and production quantities of the new Si539x jitter attenuators are available now. Silicon Labs offers a wide range of evaluation boards (EVBs), priced at $299 each (USD MSRP), for Si539x devices with internal or external references. The EVBs enable customers to move quickly from device configuration to detailed performance evaluation, and they work seamlessly with ClockBuilder Pro, enabling developers to quickly develop custom configurations and measure performance. Contact your local Silicon Labs sales representative or authorized distributor for Si539x product pricing. To order Si539x samples and EVBs, visit www.silabs.com/timing.