advIC provides both semiconductor
IP-cores (IP=Intellectual Property)
and IP-cells. Our focus in IP-cores
is on cutting-edge mixed-signal applications which will give your product an unique selling proposition.
The use of SIP (Semiconductor IP) results in greatly reduced time-to-market, reduced risk and lower cost for you.
Usually advICo delivers SIP as a part of a complete IC design.
In this case the IP-core represents a fixed circuit core whereas the periphery is designed according
to your requirements. It is also possible to get encrypted netlists/black-box layouts for incorporation
into your own chip design.
Below is a list of available SIP from advICo:
- Integrated LC-oscillators
- BiCMOS bandgap reference
- CMOS bandgap reference
- 12 bit analog to digital converter (ADC)
- Programmable picosecond-resolution delay
The LD10Gn is a laser driver for n-side-down (common cathode) laser diodes.
N-side-down means that the laser diode is driven at the anode
with grounded cathode, as opposed to most usual designs.
To our knowledge the LD10Gn is the
world's first n-side-down laser driver for data
rates of up to 10.7 Gbit/s. It is fabricated in a 0.25 µm SiGe
technology and operates from a 3.3 V supply with laser currents
up to 100 mA.
N-side-down usually requires a driver circuit with integrated pnp-type
bipolar transistors and cut-off frequencies in excess of 20 GHz.
Such transistors are difficult to fabricate in Silicon bipolar
or BiCMOS technologies so that usually only fast npn-type
bipolar transistors are available.
advICo developed a novel circuit technique
by which n-side-down laser diodes can be driven with an
npn-only driver. This patent pending technique was used for
the development of the LD10Gn.
Additional features of the IC are optional retiming of input
data, power control, failure flags for laser and monitor diode,
programmable threshold and modulation currents and the
possibility of direct bonding of the driver die to the laser die
without external damping network or decoupling capacitors.
Download LD10Gn Product Brief (242 kB PDF).
Click here to request data sheet.
In modern fiber-optic data transmission systems continuous
in-service signal monitoring becomes increasingly
important. The accurate measurement of eye diagrams at
high data rates represents a challenging task for
measurement electronics.
advICo has
developed a novel circuit technique which enables
to integrate the complete circuitry for measurement
of eye diagrams of ultra-fast digital signals on a
single chip. The EDM is based on this patent pending
circuit technique. Typical applications for the
EDM are:
- In-service monitoring of signal quality in fiber-optic data transmission systems
- Adaptive dispersion compensation at data rates of 10 to 43 Gbit/s
- Compact digital measurement systems
Functions and Characteristics of the EDM:
Funktion:
- Measurement of amplitude/time histogram (with synchronous reference clock)
- Measurement of amplitude histogram (with asynchronous reference clock)
Technische Daten:
- Analog signal bandwidth: >30 GHz
- Amplitude resolution: ca. 15 mV diff. (= 6 bit @ 1 Vss)
- Time resolution: ca. 1 ps
(depending on reference clock jitter) - Samples per amplitude/time window:
256, 512, or 1024 each - Measurement time for complete amplitude/time histogram at 43 Gbit/s: < 10ms
(1024 Samples per amplitude/time window)
- Supply voltage: 3.3 V
- Supply current: 450 mA
- Semiconductor Technology: 0.25 µm SiGe BiCMOS technology
The EDM´s histogram data can be read out via a digital interface. From histogram data the following information can be extracted:
- Eye-diagram representation of data signal
- Maximum and RMS Jitter
- Q-factor
- Signal levels
- Optimal decision threshold
The EDM can be used for continuous in-service
signal monitoring in fiber-optic data
transmission systems. In this case it fulfils - with
reduced accuracy - the function of a digital sampling
oscilloscope.
The chip is also suited for signal measurement in
fast adaptive dispersion compensator modules.
The EDM´s histogram measurement of the complete
eye diagram enables the extraction of all necessary
information of the distorted receive signal
(even with multi-level or duobinary signals).
In comparison to other methods to measure
signal quality at high data rates (Pseudo-BER
measurement, BER measurement with FEC-coded data)
the EDM enables the measurement of the complete
eye diagram of the distorted signal and
thus provides more information to the dispersion
compensator than other methods.
Even with an asynchronous clock, e.g. when the clock
and data recovery is unable to lock on the data signal,
the EDM is still able to deliver accurate amplitude
histogram data which enables the dispersion compensator
to optimize the pulse form of severely degraded signals.
In principle the EDM can be used for optical, electronic,
or combined optical/electronic dispersion compensators.
The following simplified block diagrams show the EDM
in combination with optical rsp. electronic
compensation.
Eye Diagram Monitor (EDM) with optical dispersion compensation (EQ)
Eye Diagram Monitor (EDM) with electronic dispersion compensation (EQ)
The circuit is offered as an IP-core in an advanced 0.25 µm SiGe
BiCMOS technology.
Download EDM Product Brief (331 kB PDF).
Click here to request additional information.
