TOP-IC’s new innovative chipset includes an active WiFi noise cancelling receiver that can help customers solve harsh WiFi 5/6/6E/7 interference issues within ONU boxes

The SLR10G2L is a 10Gbps combined transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and limiting amplifier (LA) in a single monolithic chip designed to be used with a wide range of avalanche photodiodes (APDs), including low-bandwidth APDs for cost critical 10G-PON ONU applications.

The SLR10G2L features patent pending active noise suppression circuitry which minimises any sensitivity penalty due to local WiFi antenna or similar RF noise sources often found within consumer ONU boxes. The receivers can achieve highest sensitivities of around -34 dBm and generally better than -32dBm with negligible optical sensitivity penalty in the presence of localised high-power EM signal sources such as WiFi antenna. Measurement results show less than 1 dB penalty for 5~6 GHz WiFi and almost zero penalty for 2.4 GHz WiFi.

The SLR10G2L data outputs maintain a typical 300mVpp output swing from overload to sensitivity – a major technical accomplishment for a 10G APD TO-can receiver – that further reduces the effects of external noise sources on optical sensitivity outside of the BOSA package.

From 2021, WiFi 6E introduced the 6 GHz channel for communication and wider channel bandwidth. Now WiFi 7 builds on this by doubling the channel bandwidth rate and providing multi-link operation (MLO) making it possible to simultaneously send and receive data across different frequency bands and channels. Whilst these updates offer significant improvements for the consumer, they represent a real design challenge for PON ONU WiFi Router manufacturers as they have to place highly sensitive optical PON receivers in the same box as multiple high-power RF antennas that are operating across several frequency bands simultaneously in the same bandwidth range as the optical receiver. With the SLR10G2L, TOP-IC provides a solution to this problem.

The SLR10G2L can operate with both a fully limiting signal path with a constant 300mVpp output swing, or in a linearized TIA mode where the output swing is proportional to the average input current that supports existing OMA LOS functions in proceeding transceiver Combo ICs. Most effective board-level WiFi immunity is obtained in fully limiting mode.

Whilst the SLR10G2L TIA chip works extremely well with existing industry pin compatible Combo transceiver ICs, such as the HLC10P5 and HLC10P6, the SLR10G2L can also be used in a chipset with TOP-IC’s SLT10P3 integrated 10G burst DML driver chip for XGS-PON supplied in a tiny ‘industry first’ 3mm x 3mm QFN24 package. The SLT10P2 is a 2.5G version for XG-PON and GPON. Together the SLR10G2L and SLT10P3 offer the most cost effective, low power, highest performance chipset solution, with the fewest components for 10G-PON symmetric and asymmetric BOSA-on-Board ONU designs and 10G PON Stick applications.

The SLR10G2L is sold as bare die with dimensions of just 0.83 mm x 1.05 mm, easily fitting within a standard 5-pin TO-can. The chip is powered from a +3.3V VDD supply and operates over a wide industrial temperature range of -40ᵒC to +95ᵒC.

A GPON 2.5Gbps optimised version, SLR2G52L, is also available for new GPON ONU and PON Stick designs to complement the SLT10P2 2.5G driver.

TOP-IC will be shipping volume production from early Q2 and production samples are available to interested customers immediately.

Christian Rookes, VP Marketing at TOP-IC, added “The SLR10G2L chip receiver is the most advanced, highest performance solution for 10G-PON ONUs and provides exceptional levels of sensitivity performance margin in the noisiest of WiFi environments. We’re excited to be able to help our customers overcome this huge design challenge as they integrate WiFi 6E and WiFi 7 capabilities into their PON ONU offerings by taking the SLR10G2L into mass production.”

About Top IC (Suzhou) Ltd:

Top IC (Suzhou) Ltd is a Venture Capital and Industry-backed, Fabless chip company specialising in the design and supply of the world’s highest performance PMD and PHY ICs for high speed fiber-optics based communications and networking/Datacentre applications.

Top IC (Suzhou) Ltd is headquartered in Suzhou, China with development centres in Suzhou, Canada and Europe, and an applications and support facility in Wuhan.

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