AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Using High-Speed

¨ I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

May 2003, ver. 1.8 Application Note 166

Introduction Recent expansion in the telecommunications market and growth in Internet use have created a demand to move more data faster than ever. To meet this demand, system designers are relying on solutions such as differential signaling and interface standards such as RapidIO, POS-PHY Level 4, or UTOPIA IV.

The APEXTM II device’s high-speed interface I/O pins offer serialization and deserialization on a single chip to move data at high speeds. They also utilize a state-of-the-art CMOS process that consumes far less power than GaAs devices, the other alternative for high-speed devices.

Preliminary The following documents are available and provide information on Information APEX II device high speed I/O standard features and functions. These documents also explain how system designers can take advantage of these standards to increase system efficiencies and bandwidth.

■ Application Note 157 (Using CDS in APEX II Devices) describes the most common topologies, and how the APEX II device’s unique clock-data synchronization (CDS) feature is applied. ■ Application Note 167 (Using Flexible-LVDS in APEX II Devices) describes the function, capabilities, and implementation of the Flexible-LVDSTM buffer.

The APEX II high-speed interface includes four I/O banks. Each high- speed I/O bank is comprised of 18 channels, offering 36 differential input and 36 differential output channels each running up to 1 gigabit per second (Gbps). The 72 channels combine to offer 366-Gbps throughput. See Figure 1.

APEX II devices combine serialization, deserialization, and frequency multiplication into one package. This combination allows APEX II devices to transmit multiple bits of data through a reduced number of differential transmission lines spanning large distances.

Altera Corporation 1

AN-166-1.8 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Figure 1. APEX II High-Speed Interface Block Diagram

I/O Bank I/O Bank

Receiver Transmitter Input Clock 1 Output Clock 1 PLL1 PLL1

True-LVDS True-LVDS Channels 1 to 18 Channels 1 to 18 Serial Data Serial Data Serial-to-Parallel Parallel-to-Serial Converter Converter System I/O BankLogic I/O Bank True-LVDS True-LVDS Channels 19 to 36 Channels 19 to 36 Serial Data Serial Data Serial-to-Parallel Parallel-to-Serial Converter Converter

Input Clock 2 Receiver Transmitter Output Clock 2 PLL2 PLL2

APEX II High- As demand for high-speed systems grows, the interface between systems becomes critical. The APEX II high-speed interface offers four types of Speed I/O commonly applied high-speed I/O standards: LVDS, HyperTransport, Standards LVPECL, and PCML. Figures 2 and 3 show receiver input and transmitter output waveforms, respectively, for all differential I/O standards (LVDS, 3.3-V PCML, LVPECL, and HyperTransport technology).

2 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Figure 2. Receiver Input Waveforms for Differential I/O Standards Single-Ended Waveform

Positive Channel (p) = VIH

±VID

Negative Channel (n) = VIL VCM Ground

Differential Waveform

+VID p − n = 0 V V − ID (Peak-to-Peak) VID

Figure 3. Transmitter Output Waveforms for Differential I/O Standards

Single-Ended Waveform

Positive Channel (p) = VOH

±VOD

Negative Channel (n) = VOL VCM Ground

Differential Waveform

+VOD p − n = 0 V V (1) − SS VOD

Note to Figure 3: (1) VSS: steady-state differential output voltage.

LVDS

LVDS is a low-voltage differential signaling, general-purpose I/O standard. This I/O standard can transmit signals at high data rates across a variety of interconnect media such as printed circuit board (PCB) traces, backplanes, or cables with minimal power consumption and low noise.

Altera Corporation 3 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

APEX II device True-LVDSTM buffers (see Figure 4) meet complex design requirements for high data rates and low power consumption by using a low-voltage differential signal that can travel at rates up to 1 Gbps.

Two key industry standards define LVDS: IEEE Std. 1596.3 SCI-LVDS and ANSI/TIA/EIA-644. Although both standards have similar features, the IEEE Std. 1596.3 SCI-LVDS standard supports a maximum data transfer rate of only 250 megabits per second (Mbps). APEX II devices are designed to meet the ANSI/TIA/EIA-644 standard while supporting a maximum data transfer rate of 1 Gbps. Table 1 lists the LVDS parameters.

Figure 4. LVDS Buffers

Driver Current Source ~3.5 mA

Receiver – +

100

+ –

4 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Table 1. 3.3-V LVDS Specifications Note (1)

Symbol Parameter Conditions Minimum Typical Maximum Units

VCCIO I/O supply voltage 3.135 3.3 3.465 V VOD Differential output voltage RL = 100 Ω 250 850 (2) mV

∆ VOD Change in VOD between RL = 100 Ω 50 mV high and low

VOS Output offset voltage RL = 100 Ω 1.125 1.25 1.375 V ∆ VOS Change in VOS between RL = 100 Ω 50 mV high and low

VTH Differential input threshold VCM = 1.2 V Ð100 100 mV

VIN Receiver input voltage 0.0 2.4 V range

RL Receiver differential input 90 100 110 Ω resistor (external to APEX II devices)

Notes to Table 1: (1) APEX II devices support the RapidIO and POS-PHY Level 4 interconnect standards using the LVDS I/O standard. (2) Maximum VOD is measured under static conditions.

HyperTransport

HyperTransport (formerly known as Lightning Data Transport, or LDT) technology is a new high-speed, high-performance point-to-point I/O standard for connecting integrated circuits on a motherboard. It is primarily targeted for the IT and telecommunication industries, but any application that requires high speed, low latency, and scalability has the potential to take advantage of HyperTransport technology.

HyperTransport technology connections have two unidirectional point- to-point links with varied bit widths, and the clock is center-aligned with data. The APEX II transmitter circuitry allows users to select edge-aligned or center-aligned strobe method for each individual channel, regardless of the I/O standard used. Table 2 lists the HyperTransport parameters.

Altera Corporation 5 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Table 2. HyperTransport Specifications

Symbol Parameter Conditions Minimum Typical Maximum Units

VCCIO I/O supply voltage 2.375 2.5 2.625 V

VOD Differential output voltage RL = 100 Ω 380 600 820 mV VOCM Output common mode RL = 100 Ω 500 600 700 mV voltage

VID Differential input voltage 300 600 900 mV VICM Input common mode 450 600 750 mV voltage

RL Receiver differential input 90 100 110 Ω resistor

LVPECL

The LVPECL I/O standard is used in telecommunications, data communications, and clock distribution fields. It uses a positive power supply, and has relatively small voltage swing compared to TTL I/O standards, making LVPECL suitable for high-speed systems. Table 3 shows the LVPECL signaling characteristics.

Table 3. LVPECL Specifications

Symbol Parameter Conditions Minimum Typical Maximum Units

VCCIO I/O supply voltage 3.135 3.3 3.465 V

VIL Low-level input voltage 800 1,700 mV VIH High-level input voltage 2,100 VCCIO mV

VOL Low-level output voltage 1,450 1,650 mV VOH High-level output voltage 2,275 2,420 mV

VID Differential input voltage 100 600 2,500 mV VOD Differential output voltage 625 800 970 mV

tR Rise time (20 to 80%) 85 325 ps tF Fall time (20 to 80%) 85 325 ps

6 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

PCML

The PCML buffers provide programmable, differential current outputs into transmission lines with 50-Ω terminations. The PCML I/O buffer features 3.3-V operation and, similar to LVDS, consumes less power than PECL. PCML signaling characteristics of are shown in Table 4.

Table 4. PCML Specifications

Symbol Parameter Conditions Minimum Typical Maximum Units

VCCIO I/O supply voltage 3.135 3.3 3.465 V VIL Low-level input voltage VCCIO Ð V 0.3

VIH High-level input voltage VCCIO V VOL Low-level output voltage VCCIO Ð VCCIO Ð V 0.6 0.3

VOH High-level output voltage VCCIO Ð VCCIO V 0.3

VT Output termination voltage VCCIO V

VOD Differential output voltage 300 450 600 mV tR Rise time (20 to 80%) 85 325 ps

tF Fall time (20 to 80%) 85 325 ps RO Output load 100 Ω

RL Receiver differential input 45 50 55 Ω resistor

APEX II High- The APEX II device’s high-speed interface combines serialization, frequency multiplication, and deserialization all in one circuit. This allows Speed Interface APEX II devices to transmit many bits of data through a reduced number Technology of differential transmission lines over distances greater than those that can be achieved with a single-ended (e.g., TTL or CMOS) interface.

The designer can select the number of bits combined or multiplexed per transmission link, resulting in a more flexible interface than with the fixed-ratio solutions of application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or application-specific standard product (ASSP) devices. A designer using an ASIC or ASSP device must use a fixed number of high-speed channels as well as a fixed number of serialized bits per channel. These limitations reduce efficiency and flexibility, increase die size, and inflate the cost of the system. In contrast, APEX II devices allow designers to select the number of high-speed channels used and determine the best use of system resources.

Altera Corporation 7 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Data Stream Serialization

The APEX II high-speed interface receives parallel data from the internal logic array. The data is latched into a parallel-in serial-out shift register in sync with the low-frequency clock. The high-frequency clock (which is internally generated) shifts the serial data through the shift register and into the output driver. This is shown in Figure 5.

A phase-locked loop (PLL) generates the high-frequency clock and the externally-driven clock. This PLL has two multiplication settings to customize it for particular designs: W and J. The W setting governs the relationship between the clock input and the data rate. For example, if the clock input is 125 MHz and the data rate is 1 Gbps, then W is set to 8. The J setting controls the width of the data bus driven into the transmitter or out of the receiver. For example, for a 10-bit bus, J is set to 10. The W and J factors may be independently set. For example, if 1-Gbit data is driven into the APEX II device with a a 500-MHz clock, and the data is driven into the logic array as a 100-MHz 10-bit bus, then W is set to 2 and J is set to 10. Fore more details, see “PLLs & Data Manipulation” on page 10.

Figure 5. Transmitter Block Diagram in ×10 Mode

Transmitter Circuit Parallel Serial Register Register

10 10 LE txout Register (1) txclkout APEX II Logic Array

PLL ×W ×1 txclkin ×W/J ×1

Note to Figure 5: (1) LE: logic element.

8 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Figure 6 illustrates the timing relationship between clock and data, when ×10 serialization is selected.

Figure 6. Transmitter Timing Diagram

Internal ×1 clock

Internal ×10 clock

Transmitter n 1n 09 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 data output – –

Incoming Serial Data Stream Deserialization

The system receives the serial data and clock at its input pins. The high- frequency clock (internal) shifts the serial data through the receiver’s deserializer shift register. The data is then driven out in parallel with the low-frequency data clock. This same low-frequency clock can drive a global clock line to clock internal LEs. See Figure 7.

Figure 7. APEX II High-Speed Interface Deserializer in ×10 Mode

Receiver Circuit Serial Parallel Register Register

10 LE 10 APEX II rxin Register Logic Array

×W/J ×W/J

PLL ×W ×W/J ×W rxclkin ×W/J

Figure 8 illustrates the timing relationship between clock and data when ×10 deserialization is selected.

Altera Corporation 9 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Figure 8. Receiver Timing Diagram

Internal ×1 clock

Internal ×10 clock

Receiver n 1n 09 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 data input – –

PLLs & Data PLLs are used for clock distribution because they can perform frequency multiplication. Designers can use PLLs to implement a high-performance Manipulation design in a system while using fewer system resources. Figure 9 illustrates the APEX II high-speed interface PLL connections.

Figure 9. High-Speed Interface PLL Connections

VCO (1) Deserialization Factor Controlled by J

Phase Loop High-Speed Interface Clock Input ÷J Comparator Filter Circuitry and/or Global Clock Lines (3)

Multiplication Factor Controlled by W

TX_CLKOUT (2) ÷W High-Speed Interface Circuitry

Notes to Figure 9: (1) VCO: voltage-controlled oscillator. (2) The external clock output is available for TXPLL1 and TXPLL2. (3) The J divider output of RXPLL1 and PXPLL2 feeds global clock lines. The divider output of TXPLL1 and TXPLL2 cannot feed global clock lines.

There are four PLLs dedicated to the high-speed interface (separate from the four general-purpose PLLs). Each is assigned to one high-speed bank, and each PLL is programmed independently with its own multiplication factor W and deserialization factor J, enabling interfaces such as RapidIO, POS-PHY Level 4, or UTOPIA IV.

Each of the two receiver PLLs may be driven by their respective differential clock input pins. The two transmitter PLLs may be driven by one of the four global clock lines (GCLK1, GCLK2, GCLK3, and GCLK4), as shown in Figure 10.

10 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

While a receiver PLL output can drive the transmitter PLL input, a general-purpose PLL output cannot drive a transmitter or receiver PLL. This guideline is designed to limit jitter generation at the high-speed interface. Figure 10 shows the four high-speed PLLs and their relation to the global clock lines.

Figure 10. High-Speed Interface PLL Connection to Global Clock Lines

G6 G2 G3 G7 G8 G4 G1 G5

Transmitter PLL1 Receiver PLL1 RXCLK_IN1P VCO J VCO RXCLK_IN1N

W W TXCLK_OUT1P TXCLK_OUT1N

PLL4 PLL3 CLK4 INCLK CLK0 CLK0INCLK CLK3 CLK1 CLK1

PLL2 PLL1 INCLK CLK0 CLK0 INCLK CLK2 CLK1 CLK1 CLK1

CLKLK_FBIN2 CLKLK_FBIN1 CLKLK_OUT2 CLKLK_OUT1

Transmitter PLL2 Receiver PLL2 RXCLK_IN2P VCO J VCO RXCLK_IN2N

W W TXCLK_OUT2P TXCLK_OUT2N

Several multiplication options are available, which provide for a wide range of clock frequencies from a single clock input. The VCOs are designed to operate within the frequency range of 200 MHz to 1 GHz, enabling data rates from 200 Mbps to 1 Gbps.

Altera Corporation 11 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Table 5 shows the fast PLL specifications.

Table 5. Fast PLL Specifications Note (1)

Symbol Parameter Mode Min Max Units

fIN CLKIN frequency ×10 30 100 MHz ×9 33 111 MHz ×8 37.5 125 MHz ×7 42.9 143 MHz ×6 50 167 MHz ×5 60 200 MHz ×4 75 250 MHz ×2 150 500 MHz ×1 300 500 MHz

tLOCK Time required for PLL to acquire lock 100 µs tINDUTY CLKIN duty cycle 40 60 %

tINJITTER Cycle-to-cycle jitter for LVDS CLKIN 2% of tC ps (2) (peak- to-peak)

tJITTER Cycle-to-cycle jitter for LVDS internal global or 0.25% of ps regional CLK tC (3) (RMS)

tJITTERX Cycle-to-cycle jitter for LVDS CLKOUT pin 0.25% of ps tC (3) (RMS) tDUTY Duty cycle for LVDS 1× CLKOUT pin 40 60 % W Multiplication factors for W counter 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 Integer J Multiplication factors 4 10 Integer

Notes to Table 5: (1) Numbers in Table 5 are preliminary. (2) Jitter for input frequencies of 30 to 200 MHz is 2% of tC and 100 ps for input frequencies of 200 to 500 MHz. (3) Jitter for output frequencies of 30 to 150 MHz is 0.25% of tC and 100 ps for output frequencies of 150 to 500 MHz.

The PLL frequency multiplier may be set individually for each one the four high-speed interface modules, giving system designers several options.

12 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Clock-enable signal APEX II PLLs have a PLL_ENA pin for enabling/disabling all of the device’s PLLs. When the PLL_ENA pin is high, the PLL drives a clock to all its output ports. When the PLL_ENA pin is low, the clock0 and clock1 ports are driven by the GND pin, and all of the PLLs go out of lock. When the PLL_ENA pin goes high again, the PLLs relock. Altera requires resetting the PLL when the dedecated SERDES is used and the input clock signal ceases and then starts up again. To reset the PLL, toggle the clock enable signal after the input clock has stabilized. The individual enable port for each PLL is programmable. To enable/disable the device PLLs with the PLL_ENA pin, connect the inclocken port on the altclklock instance to the PLL_ENA input pin. However, if more than one PLL is instantiated, each only one PLL’s inclocken port must be connected to the PLL_ENA pin.

Deserialization APEX II devices give users many data serialization or deserialization options in addition to a wide range of clock multiplication options. These Factor J options are independent from the PLL multiplication. For example, users may select frequency multiplication of 2, but select a deserialization factor of 8.

When ×1 deserialization is selected, the high-speed interface system directly connects the I/O registers to the logic array without using the dedicated serializer/deserializer circuitry. When ×2 deserialization is selected, the system uses double data rate (DDR) I/O registers to perform deserialization.

Implementing Some system designs require the relationship between data and clock to be a 2:1 ratio. For example, the HyperTransport protocol, supports various Half-Rate Clock data rates, including 800 Mbps. This data rate requires a source- Applications synchronous clock of 400 MHz. The APEX II transmitter clock output (txclkout) frequency is always the same as the transmitter PLL input clock frequency. Therefore, the desired half-rate clock out frequency cannot be generated directly from the transmitter PLL. However, an additional differential data channel may be configured to produce the clock signal at half the data rate of the data frequency to meet the 2:1 ratio requirement.

For example, when a system’s requirement is to transmit a total of 6.4 Gbps with a 2:1 data to clock ratio, the user may program the device with nine high-speed channels. Eight of these channels will be used to transmit data at 800 Mbps each (resulting in 6.4 Gbps of data transmission). The parallel input of the ninth channel is then driven by alternating ones and zeros, resulting in a clock signal at one half of the data frequency, or 400 MHz.

Altera Corporation 13 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

On the receiver side, the 400 MHz data signal is connected to the receiver PLL’s clock input and is used to deserialize the incoming data at 800 Mbps. The multiplication factor W is set to 2, and the deserialization factor J may be any number between 4 to 10.

Figure 11 shows the connection between the receiver and transmitter circuits, where W = 2 and J = 8.

14 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Figure 11. Receiver & Transmitter Circuit Connection

Receiver Circuit Transmitter Circuit

100-MHz 8-Bit Bus Eight 800-Mbps Channels

8 8 8

8 Serial-to- Parallel- Serial Receiver Parallel to-Serial 400-MHz Input at 800 Mbps Converter 8 APEX II 8 Converter Clock Logic Array

Data Stream Generates PLL (1) Clock (3) PLL (2) ×W Clock Input at 400 MHz ×W/J ×W/J

100 MHz

Notes to Figure 11: (1) W = 2 (800 MHz) J = 8 (100 MHz) (2) W = 8 (800 MHz) J = 8 (100 MHz) (3) Logic drives the ninth channel with a repeating 01010101 pattern for the external clock.

Timing Budget The APEX II high-speed interface converts up to 10 bits of parallel data lines into a single condensed serialized interface and transfers data at up Definitions & to 1 Gbps. Serializing and transferring data at high speed produces a data Margin period that is a fraction of the original TTL signal. Therefore, it is important to understand the interface timing and possible constrains. This section describes the data orientation, timing budget definitions, and explains the margins. An example budget is provided that users can adapt for their designs.

Data Orientation

There is a set relationship between the external clock and the incoming data. For operation at 1 Gbps and W = 10, the external clock is multiplied by 10 and phase-aligned by the PLL to coincide with the sampling window of each data bit. Figure 12 shows the data bit orientation of the ×10 mode as defined in the Quartus® II software.

Altera Corporation 15 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Figure 12. Bit Orientation in the Quartus II Software

10 LVDS Bits MSB LSB n-1 n-0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

LVDS Bit Positions

Data synchronization is necessary for successful data transmission at high frequencies. Figure 13 shows the data bit orientation for a receiver channel operating in ×8 mode. Unlike in CDS mode, the first bit of data for the current clock cycle is the third bit because the first two bits belong to the previous cycle. Similar positioning exists for the most significant bits (MSBs) and least significant bits (LSBs) after deserialization, as seen in Table 6.

f For more information on CDS in APEX II devices see Application Note 157 (Using CDS in APEX II Devices).

Figure 13. Bit Order for One Channel of LVDS Data inclock/outclock

Previous CycleCurrent Cycle Next Cycle Data in/ D7 D6 D5 D4 D3 D2 D1 D0 Data out MSB LSB

Example: Sending the Data 10010110

Previous CycleCurrent Cycle Next Cycle Data in/ 1001 0110 Data out MSB LSB

16 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Table 6 shows the conventions for LVDS bit naming.

Table 6. LVDS Bit Naming

Receiver Data Channel Internal 8-bit Parallel Data Number MSB Position LSB Position 170 2158 32316 43124 53932 64740 75548 86356 97164 10 79 72 11 87 80 12 95 88 13 103 96 14 111 104 15 119 112 16 127 120 17 135 128 18 143 136

Altera Corporation 17 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Timing Definition

Specifications are used to define the high-speed timing as described in Table 7.

Table 7. High-Speed Timing Specifications & Terminology

High-Speed Timing Specification Terminology

tC High-speed receiver/transmitter input and output clock period. fHSCLK High-speed receiver/transmitter input and output clock frequency.

tLHT Low-to-high transmission time. tHLT High-to-low transmission time. TUI The TUI is the timing budget allowed for skew, propagation delays, and data sampling window. (TUI = 1/(Receiver Input Clock Frequency × Multiplication Factor) = tC/w).

fHSDR Maximum LVDS data transfer rate (fHSDR = 1/TUI). Transmitter channel-to-channel skew TCCS is the timing difference between the fastest and slowest output (TCCS) edges, including tCO variation and clock skew. TCCS is measured with respect to the clock used to generate the channel outputs. Transmitter data-to-data skew TDDS is the timing difference between the fastest and slowest output (TDDS) edges, including tCO variation and clock skew. TDDS is measured without respect to the clock used to generate the channel outputs. Use TDDS for applications that use a data channel for the transmit clock (e.g., POS-PHY Level 4). Receiver input skew margin (RSKM) RSKM is the timing margin between clock input and data input for user board design, which allows for cable skew and jitter on the high-speed PLL. RSKM = (TUI Ð TCCS Ð SW)/2. Sampling window (SW) This parameter defines the period of time during which the data must be valid in order to be correctly captured. The setup and hold times determine the ideal strobe position within the sampling window. SW = tSU (max) Ð tSW (min). Input jitter (peak-to-peak) Peak-to-peak input jitter on high-speed PLLs. Output jitter (RMS) RMS output jitter on high-speed PLLs.

tDUTY Duty cycle on high-speed transmitter output clock.

tLOCK Lock time for high-speed transmitter and receiver PLLs.

18 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Table 8 shows the LVDS timing specifications as described in Figure 16 and Table 7.

Table 8. LVDS Timing Requirements

Symbol Conditions Commercial -7 Speed Commercial -8 Speed Commercial -9 Speed Unit Grade (1 Gbps) (1) Grade (840 Mbps) Grade (640 Mbps) Min Typ Max Min Typ Max Min Typ Max

fLVDSCLK ×10 mode 30 100 30 84 30 64 MHz (Input clock ×8 mode 37.5 125 37.5 105 37.5 80 MHz frequency) ×4 mode 75 250 75 210 75 160 MHz (2) ×2 mode 150 500 150 420 150 320 MHz

fLVDSDR ×10 mode 300 1,000 300 840 300 640 Mbps (Operation ×8 mode 300 1,000 300 840 300 640 Mbps in Mbps ) ×4 mode 300 1,000 300 840 300 640 Mbps ×2 mode 300 1,000 300 840 300 640 Mbps TCCS All 270 300 350 ps TDDS All 150 200 250 ps SW 400 440 440 ps Input jitter All 2.1% 2.1% 2.1% ps (peak- (3) of tC of tC of tC to-peak) Output jitter All 0.35% 0.35% 0.35% ps (RMS) (4) of tC of tC of tC

tLHT All 350 400 450 ps tHLT All 350 400 450 ps

tDUTY All485248524852 tLOCK All151515µs Notes to Table 8: (1) For 1 Gbps operation, contact Altera Applications. (2) The multiplied clock divided by the J factor (× W/J) should not exceed 200 MHz. (3) If the input frequency is 30 to 200 MHz, jitter is 2% of tC. If the input frequency is 200 to 500 MHz, jitter is 100 ps. (4) If the output frequency is 30 to 150 MHz, jitter is is 0.25% of tC. If the output frequency is 150 to 500 MHz, jitter is 100 ps.

Input Timing Waveform

The functional description for serialization and deserialization is described in previous sections. Figure 13 illustrates the essential operations and the timing relationship between the clock cycle and the incoming serial data.

Altera Corporation 19 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Figure 14. Input Timing Waveform Note (1)

Input Clock (Differential Signal) Next Previous Cycle Current Cycle Cycle Input Data bit 0 bit 1 bit 2 bit 3 bit 4 bit 5 bit 6 bit 7

tsw0 (min) MSB LSB tsw0 (max) tsw1 (min) tsw1 (max) tsw2 (min) tsw2 (max) tsw3 (min) tsw3 (max) tsw4 (min) tsw4 (max) tsw5 (min) tsw5 (max) tsw6 (min) tsw6 (max) tsw7 (min) tsw7 (max)

Note to Figure 14: (1) The timing specifications are referenced at a 100-mV differential voltage.

Output Timing

The output timing waveform in Figure 15 illustrates the relationship between the output clock and the serial output data stream.

20 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Figure 15. Output Timing Waveform Note (1) Output Clock (Differential Signal) Next Previous Cycle Current Cycle Cycle

Output Data bit 0 bit 1 bit 2 bit 3 bit 4 bit 5 bit 6 bit 7

TPPos0 (min) MSB LSB TPPos0 (max)

TPPos1 (min) TPPos1 (max) TPPos2 (min) TPPos2 (max) TPPos3 (min) TPPos3 (max) TPPos4 (min) TPPos4 (max) TPPos5 (min) TPPos5 (max) TPPos6 (min) TPPos6 (max) TPPos7 (min) TPPos7 (max)

Note to Figure 15: (1) The timing specifications are referenced at a 250-mV differential voltage.

Receiver Skew Margin

Change in a system’s environment such as temperature, media (cable, connector, or PCB) loading effect, a receiver’s inherent setup and hold, and internal skew all combine to reduce the sampling window for the receiver. Timing margin between receiver’s clock input and the data input sampling window is also known as RSKM. Figure 16 illustrates the relationship between the parameter and the receiver’s sampling window.

Altera Corporation 21 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Figure 16. Differential High-Speed Timing Diagram & Timing Budget

Timing Diagram

External Input Clock Time Unit Interval (TUI)

Internal Clock

TCCS RSKM Sampling Window (SW) RSKM TCCS Receiver Input Data

TPPos (min) tsw (min) Internal tsw (max) TPPos (max) Bit n Bit n Clock Bit n Bit n+1 TPPos (max) Falling Edge TPPos (min) Bit n Bit n+1

Timing Budget

TUI

External Clock

Clock Placement

Internal Clock Synchronization

Transmitter Output Data

TCCS RSKM RSKM

TCCS/2

Receiver Input Data

tSW(min) SW

t SW(max)

22 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Design Example

This section describes a LVDS design example using an APEX II-to-APEX II connection and a data transfer rate of 624 Mbps over a 5-m cable. This design uses a 3M Corporation cable (14526-EZ5B) and connector (10226-1A10VE). Figure 17 shows a design example of an APEX II-to-APEX II connection with a 3M cable assembly.

Figure 17. LVDS Design Example

APEX II APEX II Device Device + Ð

The design in Figure 17 has the following characteristics:

SW = 0.44 ns, TCCS = 0.4 ns

RSKM = (TUI – SW – TCCS) / 2 = (1.6 – 0.44 – 0.4) / 2 = 380 ps

Cable skew per meter (max) = 50 ps, connector skew (max) = 17 ps (values obtained from 3M Corporation)

Since the True-LVDS balls are located on the outer edge of the FineLine BGATM packages, the traces can be easily routed with a low skew.

PCB skew = 30 ps (based on the electrical length of the PCB traces)

System skew = cable skew + connector skew + PCB skew = 50 ps/m × 5m + 17 ps + 30 ps = 297 ps

Margin = RSKM – (input clock jitter + system skew) = 380 ps – (10 ps + 297 ps) = 73 ps

Because there is positive margin, the circuit will operate at the required speed. If a longer cable is desired, there may not be sufficient margin. In this case, the APEX II CDS circuitry can be used to increase RSKM and assure circuit functionality.

Altera Corporation 23 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

When designing for high-speed data transfer rates, designers must consider various factors that affect the margin for correct data sampling. By completing the calculations described in this section, designers can calculate the margin in high-speed designs that use APEX II devices and calculate high-speed transfer over cables and connectors. Low-skew cables and connectors can also improve margin and overall system performance. The APEX II True-LVDS circuit provides low TCCS and SW parameters that allow high-speed True-LVDS data transfers.

Switching Characteristics

Use the following timing specifications when receiving or transmitting data at various speeds. Timing specifications for other frequencies and serialize and deserialize factors are easily constructed.

Receiver Timing Specifications

The specifications shown in Table 9 are for fIN = 66 MHz and a deserialization factor of 7.

Table 9. 1-to-7 Mode Receiver Window (462-Mbps Transfer)

Symbol Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Unit

tSW0 Sampling window position for bit 0 0.73 1.08 1.43 ns tSW1 Sampling window position for bit 1 2.90 3.25 3.60 ns

tSW2 Sampling window position for bit 2 5.06 5.41 5.76 ns tSW3 Sampling window position for bit 3 7.23 7.58 7.93 ns

tSW4 Sampling window position for bit 4 9.39 9.74 10.09 ns tSW5 Sampling window position for bit 5 11.55 11.90 12.25 ns

tSW6 Sampling window position for bit 6 13.72 14.07 14.42 ns RSKM 0.35 ns

24 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

The specifications shown in Table 10 are for fIN = 78 MHz and a deserialization factor of 8.

Table 10. 1-to-8 Mode Receiver Window (622.08-Mbps Transfer)

Symbol Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Unit

tSW0 Sampling window position for bit 0 0.50 0.80 1.10 ns tSW1 Sampling window position for bit 1 2.11 2.41 2.71 ns

tSW2 Sampling window position for bit 2 3.72 4.02 4.32 ns tSW3 Sampling window position for bit 3 5.33 5.63 5.93 ns

tSW4 Sampling window position for bit 4 6.93 7.23 7.53 ns tSW5 Sampling window position for bit 5 8.54 8.84 9.14 ns

tSW6 Sampling window position for bit 6 10.15 10.45 10.75 ns tSW7 Sampling window position for bit 7 11.76 12.06 12.36 ns RSKM 0.30 ns

The specifications shown in Table 11 are for fIN = 78 MHz and a deserialization factor of 10.

Table 11. 1-to-10 Mode Receiver Window (840-Mbps Transfer)

Symbol Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Unit

tSW0 Sampling window position for bit 0 0.425 0.60 0.775 ns

tSW1 Sampling window position for bit 1 1.615 1.79 1.965 ns tSW2 Sampling window position for bit 2 2.805 2.98 3.155 ns

tSW3 Sampling window position for bit 3 3.995 4.17 4.345 ns tSW4 Sampling window position for bit 4 5.185 5.36 5.535 ns

tSW5 Sampling window position for bit 5 6.375 6.55 6.725 ns tSW6 Sampling window position for bit 6 7.565 7.74 7.915 ns

tSW7 Sampling window position for bit 7 8.755 8.93 9.105 ns tSW8 Sampling window position for bit 8 9.945 10.12 10.295 ns

tSW9 Sampling window position for bit 9 11.135 11.31 11.485 ns RSKM 0.22 ns

Altera Corporation 25 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

The specifications shown in Table 12 are for fIN = 100 MHz and a deserialization factor of 10.

Table 12. 1-to-10 Mode Receiver Window (1-Gbps Transfer)

Symbol Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Unit

tSW0 Sampling window position for bit 0 0.3 0.5 0.7 ns

tSW1 Sampling window position for bit 1 1.3 1.5 1.7 ns tSW2 Sampling window position for bit 2 2.3 2.5 2.7 ns

tSW3 Sampling window position for bit 3 3.3 3.5 3.7 ns tSW4 Sampling window position for bit 4 4.3 4.5 4.7 ns

tSW5 Sampling window position for bit 5 5.3 5.5 5.7 ns tSW6 Sampling window position for bit 6 6.3 6.5 6.7 ns

tSW7 Sampling window position for bit 7 7.3 7.5 7.7 ns tSW8 Sampling window position for bit 8 8.3 8.5 8.7 ns

tSW9 Sampling window position for bit 9 9.3 9.5 9.7 ns RSKM 0.4 ns

Transmitter Timing Specifications

The specifications shown in Table 13 are for fIN = 66 MHz and a serialization factor of 7.

Table 13. 1-to-7 Mode Transmitter Window (462-Mbps Transfer)

Symbol Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Unit TPPos0 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 0 Ð0.35 0 0.35 ns TPPos1 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 1 1.81 2.16 2.51 ns TPPos2 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 2 3.98 4.33 4.68 ns TPPos3 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 3 6.14 6.49 6.84 ns TPPos4 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 4 8.31 8.66 9.01 ns TPPos5 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 5 10.47 10.82 11.17 ns TPPos6 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 6 12.64 12.99 13.34 ns TCCS 0.7 ns

26 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

The specifications shown in Table 14 are for fIN = 78 MHz and a serialization factor of 8.

Table 14. 1-to-8 Mode Transmitter Window (622.08-Mbps Transfer)

Symbol Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Unit TPPos0 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 0 Ð0.20 0.00 0.20 ns TPPos1 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 1 1.41 1.61 1.81 ns TPPos2 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 2 3.02 3.22 3.42 ns TPPos3 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 3 4.62 4.82 5.02 ns TPPos4 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 4 6.23 6.43 6.63 ns TPPos5 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 5 7.84 8.04 8.24 ns TPPos6 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 6 9.45 9.65 9.85 ns TPPos7 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 7 11.05 11.25 11.45 ns TCCS 0.40 ns

The specifications shown in Table 15 are for fIN = 78 MHz and a serialization factor of 10.

Table 15. 1-to-10 Mode Transmitter Window (840-Mbps Transfer)

Symbol Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Unit TPPos0 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 0 Ð0.2 0.00 0.20 ns TPPos1 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 1 0.99 1.19 1.39 ns TPPos2 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 2 2.18 2.38 2.58 ns TPPos3 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 3 3.37 3.57 3.77 ns TPPos4 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 4 4.56 4.76 4.96 ns TPPos5 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 5 5.75 5.95 6.15 ns TPPos6 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 6 6.94 7.14 7.34 ns TPPos7 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 7 8.13 8.33 8.53 ns TPPos8 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 8 9.32 9.52 9.72 ns TPPos9 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 9 10.51 10.71 10.91 ns TCCS 0.40 ns

Altera Corporation 27 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

The specifications shown in Table 16 are for fIN = 100 MHz and a serialization factor of 10.

Table 16. 1-to-10 Mode Transmitter Window (1-Gbps Transfer)

Symbol Parameter Minimum Typical Maximum Unit TPPos0 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 0 Ð0.175 0.00 0.175 ns TPPos1 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 1 0.825 1.00 1.175 ns TPPos2 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 2 1.825 2.00 2.175 ns TPPos3 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 3 2.825 3.00 3.175 ns TPPos4 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 4 3.825 4.00 4.175 ns TPPos5 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 5 4.825 5.00 5.175 ns TPPos6 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 6 5.825 6.00 6.175 ns TPPos7 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 7 6.825 7.00 7.175 ns TPPos8 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 8 7.825 8.00 8.175 ns TPPos9 Transmitter output pulse position for bit 9 8.825 9.00 9.175 ns TCCS 0.35 ns

High-Speed APEX II high-speed interface pins are located at the edge of the die to limit Interface Pin the possible mismatch between a pair of high-speed signals. Location An APEX II device has eight programmable I/O banks. The four dedicated high-speed interface blocks are incorporated into four of these eight banks. Figure 18 shows the I/O blocks and their location relative to the package. The True-LVDS input pins are located on the right side and the output pins on the left side of the chip. Flexible-LVDS I/O pins are located in I/O blocks at the top and bottom of the device.

28 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Figure 18. True-LVDS & Flexible-LVDS Pins

True-LVDS Regular I/O Pins & Flexible-LVDS Transmitter Pins Input Pins (LVDS/HyperTransport/ (LVDS, LVPECL, LVPECL Inputs) PCML, HyperTransport Outputs) A True-LVDS B Receiver Pins C (LVDS, LVPECL, D E PCML, HyperTransport F Inputs) G H J K L M N P R T U V W Y True-LVDS AA Receiver Pins (LVDS, LVPECL, 21 19 17 15 1311 9 753 1 20 18 16 14 12 10 864 2 PCML, HyperTransport True-LVDS Inputs) Transmitter Pins (LVDS, LVPECL, Regular I/O Pins & Flexible-LVDS PCML,HyperTransport Output Pins (LVDS/HyperTransport Outputs) Outputs)

1 When using differential signaling in the receiver and/or transmitter LVDS blocks, you cannot place non-differential output pins within two I/O pads of the LVDS receiver or transmitter blocks. Additionally, you cannot place single-ended outputs on any pins within the LVDS blocks when using differential signalling on any of the channels. Input pins placed adjacent to LVDS transmitter pins may not use the fast input register. Using switching outputs on LVDS block pins (except the PLL LOCK pin) could affect the True-LVDS pins and degrade performance. You can use switching outputs on the PLL LOCK pin because it rarely changes. As shown in Figure 19, output pins must be at least two pads away from the receiver and transmitter block unless separated by a power or ground pin.

The same two-pad separation guideline also applies to the dedicated LVDS clock pins and the global clock pins when using differential signaling. You cannot place output pins within two pads of the LVDS clock pins (both dedicated and non-dedicated) unless separated by a power or ground pin. You can use unused True-LVDS pins as input pins without compromising the

Altera Corporation 29 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

acceptable noise level on the VCCIO plane. Use the Show Pads view in the Quartus II Floorplan Editor to see the pad order.

30 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Figure 19. I/O Pin Placement Adjacent to True-LVDS Blocks

Other Pads May Be Inputs or Outputs Regular I/O Bank

Shared VCCIO Bus Two Pads Next to True-LVDS Block May Only Be Inputs Pads in True-LVDS Block May Be Non-Differential Inputs

True-LVDS Receiver or Transmitter Block True-LVDS Pads

The programmable I/O banks have individual power buses with separate VCCIO pins for each I/O block. VCCIO supports 3.3-, 2.5-, 1.8-, and 1.5-V levels. When using LVDS, PCML, and LVPECL I/O standards, connect VCCIO to 3.3 V. When using the HyperTransport technology I/O standard, connect VCCIO to 2.5 V. The four high-speed I/O blocks support all of the standards supported by the APEX II devices.

The high-speed I/O interface blocks have their own VCCIO pins and may be powered down when not used.

Termination Transmitted differential signals must be terminated at the interface of the receiving device. The data inputs to the receiving device consist of up to Definitions n bits of information and a transmit clock.

Because APEX II high-speed modules support a variety of I/O standards and topologies, be sure to select the correct termination scheme. This section lists the different termination schemes APEX II devices support.

LVDS & HyperTransport Termination

LVDS buffers send approximately 3.5 mA through a 100-Ω termination which matches the trace impedance. The termination should be located as close to receiver input possible. Hyper-Transport utilized identical termination to LVDS. See Figure 20.

Altera Corporation 31 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Figure 20. LVDS Buffer Termination

Transmitting Device Receiving Device

+ + - - 100 Ω

PCML Termination

PCML buffers also provide small swings, and must be terminated at the output and the input terminal. See Figure 21.

Figure 21. PCML Buffer Termination

VTT VTT

100 Ω 50 Ω Transmitting Device Receiving Device

+ + - -

100 Ω 50 Ω

VTT VTT

LVPECL Termination

LVPECL is also a current switching differential buffer. The input and output voltage levels are at higher levels than LVDS buffers, so a special circuit is required to maintain the high speed capability. Figure 22 illustrates the APEX II transmitting LVPECL termination circuit, whereas Figure 23 illustrates the APEX II receiving LVPECL termination circuit.

32 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Figure 22. APEX II Transmitting LVPECL Termination

GND 3.3 V APEX II Third-Party 374 Ω 402 Ω LVPECL Transmitter LVPECL Receiver

249 Ω + + 124 Ω - - 249 Ω

374 Ω 402 Ω

GND 3.3 V

Figure 23. APEX II Receiving LVPECL Termination

Third-Party APEX II Transmitting Device Receiving Device

+ + - - 100 Ω

Board Design This section explains how to get the optimal performance from the APEX II high-speed I/O block and ensure first time success in Considerations implementing a functional design with optimal signal quality. The critical issues of controlled impedance of traces and connectors, differential routing, and termination techniques, must all be considered to get the best performance from the IC. Use this application note together with the device data sheet.

Altera Corporation 33 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

The APEX II high-speed module generates signals that travel over the media at frequencies as high as 1 Gbps. Board designers should use the following general guidelines:

■ Base board designs on controlled differential impedance. Calculate and compare all parameters such as trace width, trace thickness, and the distance between two differential traces. ■ Longer traces have more inductance and capacitance. These traces should be shorter to limit signal integrity issues. ■ Place termination resistors as close to receiver input pins as possible. ■ Use surface mount components. ■ Avoid 90° or 45° corners. ■ Use high-performance connectors such as HS-3 connectors for backplane designs. High-performance connectors are provided by Teradyne Corp (http://www.teradyne.com). ■ Design backplane and card traces so that trace impedance matches the connector’s and/or the termination’s impedance. ■ Keep equal number of vias for both signal traces. ■ Create equal trace lengths to avoid skew between signals. Unequal trace lengths also result in misplaced crossing points and system margins as the TCCS value increases. ■ Limit vias because they cause discontinuities. ■ Use the common bypass capacitor values such as 0.001 µF, 0.01 µF, and 0.1 µF to decouple the high-speed PLL power and ground planes. ■ Keep switching TTL signals away from differential signals to avoid possible noise coupling. ■ Do not route TTL clock signals to areas under or above the differential signals. ■ Analyze system-level signals.

Summary The APEX II device family of flexible, high-performance, high-density programmable logic devices (PLDs) delivers the performance and bandwidth necessary for complex system-on-a-programmable-chip (SOPC) solutions. APEX II devices support multiple I/O protocols to interface with other devices within the system. Processing-intensive data path functions that must be received and transmitted at high speeds can be easily implemented with APEX II devices. The APEX II family of devices combines a high-performance enhanced PLD architecture with dedicated I/O circuitry in order to provide I/O standard performances of up to 1 Gbps.

34 Altera Corporation Preliminary Information AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices

Revision The information contained in Application Note 166 (Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices) version 1.7 supersedes information History published in previous versions.

Version 1.7

Application Note 166 (Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices) version 1.7 contains the following changes:

■ Updated PLLs & Data Manipulation section. ■ Updated High-Speed Interface Pin Location section. ■ Various textual changes.

Version 1.6

Application Note 166 (Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices) version 1.6 contains the following changes:

■ Updated Table 7. ■ Added Table 8.

Version 1.5

Application Note 166 (Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices) version 1.5 contains the following changes:

■ Updated VOD specification in Table 1. ■ Added Figures 2 and 3. ■ Updated W and J specifications in Table 5.

Version 1.4

Application Note 166 (Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices) version 1.4 contains the following changes:

■ Updated Table 5. ■ Updated High-Speed Interface Pin Location section.

Version 1.3

Application Note 166 (Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices) version 1.3 contains the following changes:

■ Updated text on page 29. ■ Updated Figure 19.

Altera Corporation 35 AN 166: Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices Preliminary Information

Version 1.2

Application Note 166 (Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices) version 1.2 contains the following change: “Data Stream Serialization” on page 8. has been updated.

Version 1.1

Application Note 166 (Using High-Speed I/O Standards in APEX II Devices) version 1.1 contains the following change: Figure 10 has been updated.

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