Retimers bring power-efficient and low-latency operation to USB-C/DP designs

Diodes Incorporated targets growing opportunities in USB Type-C technology and lower power operation requirements with two new bit-level retimers. The DIODES PI2DPT1021 and PI2DPT821 devices are used in laptop and desktop PCs, computer peripherals, docking stations, game consoles, and active cables. They supply a compelling combination of industry-leading power efficiency in line with modern CPU platforms, compact form factors, and advanced functionality.

The new retimers each provide receiver adaptive equalization, which indicates that long trace and short trace applications can be managed. This function allows channel loss compensation up to -23dB for signal transmissions at 5GHz speeds and -18dB for 4.05GHz speeds, and jitter cleaning, with no need for a local reference clock.

The PI2DPT1021 supports 10Gbps USB3.2 Gen2 and DisplayPort version 1.4, whilst the PI2DPT821 supports 8.1Gbps DP1.4 and USB3.2 Gen1 protocols. A bidirectional, high-speed channel is integrated into each device, allowing the flow from DFP and UFP to be swapped. As a result, engineers have greater layout flexibility regarding signal flow direction. Thanks to the bidirectional operation, the devices are ideal for active cable implementations since both end connectors are the same and can act as either a DFP or UFP accordingly.

Other main attributes for these latest retimers are an ultra-low latency from signal input to output (<1ns) and a wide temperature range (from 40C to +85C). Both include an I2C programming interface. Automatic power-saving modes, applicable to USB and DP, are pivotal in minimising energy consumption.

The retimers are provided in 32-pin QFN packages with 2.85mm x 4.5mm x 0.45mm dimensions.