High speed communication

Abstract

This master thesis examines the problems that occur for high speed serial communication. The thesis focus on serial transmission through backplane, coaxial cable and optical fiber. Experiments using RocketIOTM GTP and GTX transceivers are performed at data rates of up to 5 Gbit/s. Measurements are done using integrated bit error rate tester (IBERT), network analyzer and time domain reflectometer. The thesis presents methods to evaluate the transmission quality based on IBERT measurements. The methods uses data from measurements to evaluate performance and estimate BER of the link. Impact on BER from effects such as temperature and attenuation is examined and techniques to strengthen the signal integrity is evaluated in this thesis. The basics of a pulse shaping filter is also proposed.