National Semiconductor introduced a signal integrity buffer to its portfolio of low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) products. The DS90LV804, a four-channel LVDS buffer, operates from zero to 800 Mbps, covering the broad range of data rates typically employed in mainstream multi-card or multi-box designs. The device features 15 kV of ESD protection for maximum isolation of FPGAs, ASICs and other onboard components. The DS90LV804 drives up to four LVDS clock and/or data channels over common backplanes or simple cable configurations. The wide differential input range easily interfaces to LVDS, low-voltage positive emitter-coupled logic (LVPECL) or current mode logic (CML) input levels. The output levels are fully LVDS-compliant. The device is an signal integrity driver for both clock and data signals. The quad configuration has matched output drivers for a typical minimal channel-to-channel skew of 50 psec. On-board terminations help reduce jitter by terminating the signal path at the transmit output and at the receiver input. Total typical jitter is 30 psec. When high-speed signals pass through cables or PC boards, the signal integrity is highly dependent on the data rate, cable type, length, termination scheme and environmental noise.

In order to maximize signal integrity, the chip has both internal input and output, or source, termination resistors to eliminate these extra components from the board and to guarantee the lowest possible return loss during data transmission. This is especially significant when driving signals at longer distances. The DS90LV804, available in a 32-pin LLP package that measures 5 mm by 5 mm by 0.80 mm, allows the buffer to be used in space-constrained applications. Lead-free package options are also available. In power-sensitive applications, the power-down mode can minimize power consumption when all four channels of a single device are not active, as in redundancy applications. An output enable pin is provided, which allows the user to place the LVDS outputs and internal biasing generators in a TRI-STATE, low-power mode.Available now, the DS90LV804 costs $2.95 each in quantities of 1,000.