VLSI Issues for the Implementation of 10GBASE-T Ethernet

摘要

The install-base of 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet over Copper) has begun to grow significantly. This deployment has been fueled in part by its seamless backward compatibility with older BASE-T solutions and by the availability of cheap, low-power physical layer solutions. However the IEEE 802.3 body has already begun work on the successor to 1000BASE-T (10GBASE-T or 802.3an) and this paper outlines some of the problems that VLSI designers will have to solve. We present some of the challenges for 10GBASE-T and estimate some of the performance figures that a 10GBASE-T PHY will have to meet. We include an approximation of the power consumption of a first-generation 10GBASE-T PHY solution. We also present some results pertaining to the choice of coding for 10GBASE-T.