Microsemi Corp., provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, announced Thursday availability of highly compact single-port SimpliPHY Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and Fast Ethernet (FE) PHYs with supporting open-source Linux drivers. These PHYs, including VSC8541 and VSC8531 GbE PHYs, and VSC8540 and VSC8530 FE PHYs, provide a flexible input/output interface in a package as small as 6 mm x 6 mm, enabling ubiquitous Ethernet connectivity.
Targeted to address diverse applications such as factory and building automation, video display arrays, 2-D and 3-D printers, and industrial automation endpoints, the new PHYs complement a large portfolio of Microsemi silicon solutions.
This includes Ethernet switches, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) systems and components, as well as timing integrated circuits (ICs) and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) to address wired, wireless and secure Ethernet connectivity needs in carrier, industrial and Internet of Things (IoT) networks.
These PHYs deliver capabilities to differentiate original equipment manufacturer (OEM) end-products, including lower power consumption, reduced EMC/EMI and extended product design life cycle with low voltage complementary metal oxide semiconductor (LVCMOS) media independent interface (MII) and management data input/output (MDIO) support at 1.5V, 1.8V, 2.5V, and 3.3V.
It also offers ease of printed circuit board (PCB) design, in a 68-pin 8 mm x 8 mm QFN or a 48-pin 6 mm x 6 mm QFN package; and enhanced IEEE 1588v2 Precision Time Protocol (PTP) accuracy from a system-level solution, a requirement for future 5G designs.
Microsemi PHYs offer the ability to run VeriPHY, a comprehensive cable diagnostics, while the link is actively carrying traffic—allowing superior troubleshooting and monitoring capabilities compared to competitive solutions. Additionally, the new PHYs’ configurable drive strength enables systems compliance with electromagnetic interference (EMI)/electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) certifications, such as FCC Class B and CE.
In addition to the notable cost savings for customers, Microsemi’s single-port SimpliPHY GbE and FE PHYs offer a Fast-Link Failure 2 (FLF2) indicator, which identifies whether a link might go down in less than 10 microseconds for 1000Base-T (or < 100 microseconds for 100Base-TX), as well as support for forced 1000BASE-T mode support with auto-reconnect in the event the link should come down.
In addition, the VSC8541XMV-03 features 1588v2 start-of-frame (SOF) support when used in reduced gigabit media-independent interface (RGMII) in 1000BASE-T mode, enabling enhanced 1588v2 PTP time stamp accuracy when used with an external FPGA or application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that performs Digital Dual Mixer Time Difference (DDMTD) along with 1588v2 PTP time-stamping, such as Microsemi’s SmartFusion2 system-on-chip (SoC) FPGAs, as well as the necessary DPLL devices and 1588v2 servo algorithm.
“These new single-port SimpliPHY GbE and FE PHYs further underscore our commitment to bring cost effective, differentiated Ethernet solutions to Microsemi’s key focus markets, including industrial, IoT, enterprise and carrier/telecommunications,” said Uday Mudoi, vice president, marketing, for Microsemi’s Ethernet Networking Technology (ENT) group. “These new devices, combined with open-source licensed Linux Driver Software and comprehensive design collateral, enable quick time to market for our customers and ecosystem partners.”
