Not Only in SSD Controller, Phison Entered Into PS7101 PCIe 5.0 Redriver IC

Phison Electronics Corp. entered into the high-speed interface IC market with the introduction of PS7101, a PCIe 5.0 Redriver IC with high gain and high linearity, which solves the signal attenuation caused by the transmission process on the motherboard or riser card in the PCs and servers.

Demand for the PCIe high-speed interface has increased with the continuous development of semiconductor technology. PCIe 5.0 has quadrupled bandwidth over the previous standard in a few years, with PCIe 6.0 expected to debut soon. Although the higher data rate of the chipset offers convenience to users, the development and design of the entire system has become increasingly more difficult. Specifically, the attenuation and the interference of noise in the motherboard eventually makes the signal between the CPU chip and the endpoints unable to be accurately transmitted and can even cause compatibility problems.

The company’s Redriver IC PS7101 reduces the compatibility problems that may occur when connecting between the CPU and the endpoints. The firm’s ‘Flip-Chip’ package design further reduces the signal reflection and crosstalk interference caused by the IC package and improves the ability of heat dissipation. PS7101 provides multi-band independent compensation, which can be easily adapted to different cable or PCB materials, allowing development partners the ability to tune their electrical signals to achieve the best compensation for loss.

In addition, the company provides a patented ‘Auto Tuning Tools’. This package of tools can automatically set different gain parameters in the Redriver for the customer’s development environment, collect the results of the signal, and optimize with AI technology to find the best parameters for the corresponding environment. The Auto Tuning Tools allow developers to quickly adjust to find the best Redriver gain parameters that suit their motherboard environment.

As major CPU and motherboard chipset manufacturers continue to push the speed of PCIe to the limit, supporting technologies need to keep up to fulfill the ecosystem. Typically, this is achieved through huge investments and uncertainty in product compatibility. Phison is committed to the R&D of high-speed transmission interface technology used in its broad product portfolio in consumer, enterprise, gaming, automotive and industrial NAND storage products.

After listening to our customers’ needs, the firm designed the IC specs, invested in IC development, completed PS7101 engineering samples, and began production in 8 months. The company conducted tests on ICs to make sure that the features required by each IC meet the requirements of the specs, and at the same time, ensured compatibility with the complex and diverse environment of transmission between different CPU chips and various PCIe 5.0 devices.

“We are one of the few ASIC companies that has the team and capabilities of developing PCIe 5.0 SerDes PHY IP,” said K.S.Pua, chairman and CEO, Phison. “Our high-speed interface engineering team has accumulated many years of experience from the development of IC technology for USB, SATA and UFS interfaces to the successful product launch of the world’s first PCIe 4.0 SSD with the PCIe4.0 PHY developed in-house. Furthermore, to improve compatibility, analyze signal and simulate the proposed system, Phison invested heavily in our R&D activities and has established an advanced high-speed signal analysis laboratory. We have done all this to build a solid foundation for Phison to enter the high-speed interface IC market and develop the latest gen of PCIe 5.0 Redriver IC.“

Besides being a supplier of NAND flash controller ICs, the introduction of PS7101 is a step to becoming a technology leader in the high-speed interface IC market. As part of the company’s market strategy, the firm is currently developing a PCIe 5.0 Retimer IC to suit different product environments in addition to the PCIe 5.0 Redriver IC. With 2 high-speed interface IC market products, the firm allows customers to consider both cost and signal optimization as their best choice in the future.

The company is a supplier of PCIe 5.0 Redriver and Retimer IC, and also a partner who supports PCIe 5.0 signal system analysis, simulation and compatibility issues. With a development experience, team and equipment in the field of high-speed interface, the firm’s goal is to provide customers with complete support solutions to solve technical problems encountered in the development process. The company is also cooperating with major CPU chip manufacturers in the development of new products, making fast interface technology more widely used on every platform as CPU chip companies are actively developing their next-gen platforms.