Sept. 9, 2002 - National Semiconductor Corporation (NYSE: NSM) today launched an ultra-lower power Gigabit Ethernet physical layer transceiver that provides a compelling solution for enterprise switches and routers. Leveraging its analog expertise and internal manufacturing, National Semiconductor’s new GigPHYTER™ V device delivers Gigabit per second (Gbps) performance, low power consumption and a low unit price to meet real world networking needs.
National Semiconductor has a twenty-year history of Ethernet innovation. This new device, building on this legacy, is the company’s fifth generation Gigabit physical layer (PHY) device with field-proven architecture and robust performance. A fully featured single channel Ethernet PHY supporting 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX and 1000BASE-T Ethernet protocols, the GigPHYTER V device ensures a cost effective, smooth migration path from existing Fast Ethernet applications.
The GigPHYTER V device’s innovative design has achieved a dramatically reduced die size compared to traditional architectures. For example, the GigPHYTER V device’s analog front end processing minimizes the data bus width needed throughout the chip while maximizing dynamic range. This in turn reduces the complexity and size of the digital signal processing required. In addition, through the use of advanced power management techniques, the GigPHYTER V device typically consumes only 1.1 watt, and hence does not need expensive thermally enhanced packaging.
National’s GigPHYTER V device is designed for easy implementation of 10/100/1000 Mpbs Ethernet LANs. It interfaces directly to twisted pair media via an external transformer. The device also interfaces directly to the media access controller (MAC) layer through the IEEE 802.3u Standard Media Independent Interface (MII) and the IEEE 802.3z Gigabit GMII. The cable length performance exceeds IEEE requirements to provide headroom and tolerance for lower quality network cable.
“The system architecture of National Semiconductor’s GigPHYTER V device optimizes the trade-offs of analog versus digital implementation, allowing us to offer the best mix of price, power and performance,” said Jay Canteenwala, marketing director of enterprise networking at National Semiconductor. “Our analog and manufacturing expertise, coupled with our networking heritage, is a key differentiator in the enterprise networking market, enabling us to provide the best value to our customers.”
The GigPHYTER V device features IEEE 802.3u Auto-Negotiation and Parallel Detection for seamless plug-and-play configuration. It requires only two power supplies, 1.8 V for core and analog and 2.5 V for analog and I/O. Future Gigabit Ethernet physical layer devices from National Semiconductor will be based on the GigPHYTER V design.
Availability, Packaging and Pricing
National Semiconductor’s DP83865 GigPHYTER V Ethernet physical layer transceiver in a 128-pin PQFP package is currently sampling and evaluation boards are also available today. The device is priced at less than $10.00 each in 10,000 units.
About National Semiconductor
National Semiconductor is the premier analog company driving the information age. Combining real-world analog and state-of-the-art digital technology, the company is focused on the fast growing markets for wireless handsets; displays; information infrastructure, and information appliances. With headquarters in Santa Clara, California, National reported sales of $1.5 billion for its most recent fiscal year and has about 10,000 employees worldwide. Additional company and product information is available on the World Wide Web at www.national.com.
