Cable assembly delivers PAM4 signals in dense designs

Innovative, fully shielded differential pair design enables extremely low crosstalk and tight impedance control.

Samtec, Inc. now offers its NovaRay cable assemblies that combine extreme density and performance by employing 40% less space than traditional arrays to support 112Gbps PAM4 per channel. Applications include datacom, AI/ML, HPC, computer and semiconductor, medical, test and measurement, defence/aerospace, and mobile networks.

These assemblies allow extremely low (<30dB, FEXT and NEXT) crosstalk out to 40GHz. Operating across -40C to +125C, the assemblies (part number NVAC) are PCIe 6.0/CXL 3.1 capable.

The innovative design of the connector combines extreme performance with extreme density, which is vital as speeds increase and system sizes decrease. The fully shielded differential pair design and two reliable points of contact contribute to its industry-leading 4Tbps aggregate data rate. These cable assemblies include two connectors with optional shielding and latching systems. While End 1 of the cable assembly includes a NovaRay connector, designers can select from various End 2 options from the company catalog depending on their application, including FQSFP, NovaRay I/O, ExaMAX backplane, and upcoming NovaRay backplane.

These cable assemblies are available with 34AWG EyeSpeed ultra-low-skew twinax cable (<3.5ps/m). Options include 34AWG/100-Ohm, 34AWG/92-Ohm, and 34AWG ThinaxTM/92-Ohm ultra-performance cable (with a 40% smaller cross-sectional area). The 92-Ohm solutions address both 85-Ohm and 100-Ohm applications.