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Switch addresses high-speed testing

Menlo Micro’s MM5620 switch provides a fully integrated differential loopback testing solution for applications using PCIe Gen 5/Gen 6 and SerDes standards.

Menlo Microsystems has unveiled the MM5620, a dual double-pole/triple-throw (2× DP3T) switch for high-speed differential data parallel testing on space-constrained final and probe tests. The switch, based on the company’s Ideal Switch technology, targets applications such as mobile phones, graphics, network processors, microprocessors and high-speed memory devices.

Key specs include a DC to 20 GHz range, operation up to 64 GT/s, low insertion loss of 0.8 dB at 16 GHz, power consumption of less than 10 mW and greater than 3 billion switching cycles. Other features include dual 2 Form C DP3T with loopback mode, built-in AC coupling capacitors, controllable ports for low, medium and high-data-rate signal routing and an integrated charge pump and driver that eliminates the requirement for external biasing and driver circuitry. The switch’s system-in-package (SiP) solution provides significant board footprint reduction for high-volume production test solutions.

Block diagram of Menl Micro's MM5620 switch.

MM5620 block diagram (Source: Menlo Micro)

Chris Giovanniello, Menlo Micro’s co-founder and senior vice president of marketing, asserts that the solution is the industry’s first fully integrated differential loopback testing solution for demanding high-speed digital applications based on the latest PCIe Gen 5, Gen 6 and SerDes standards. The fast data rates and high-speed buses are necessary for next-generation artificial intelligence, machine learning, 5G infrastructure, data center and cloud-based connectivity applications, he said.

The MM5620 will help IC manufacturers increase test coverage and yield, while increasing test throughput by up to 3×, he added.

The complete, end-to-end TX to RX differential loopback solution includes integrated decoupling capacitors and provides multiple high-speed connections back to the user test equipment.

The device’s small footprint and low profile (8.2 × 8.2 ×1.6 mm LGA package) represents a 90 percent reduction in size over conventional electromagnetic relay (EMR) solutions. Its ultra-fast switching speed is 1000× faster than EMRs, reducing test time and cost. It also has a 1000× longer lifetime over conventional EMRs, according to the company.

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