STMicroelectronics Demonstrates First Physical Layer IP For 6Gb/s SATA Hard Disk Drives at IDF

As SATA-IO unveils new 6Gb/s Technology, ST demonstrates industry-first 65nm implementation

Geneva - STMicroelectronics, one of the world’s leading semiconductor suppliers, today demonstrated the world’s first MIPHY (Multi Interface PHY) Physical Layer interface for the new 6Gb/s SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) Technology. Physical Layer macro-cells perform the high-speed serialization and de-serialization of data to and from the disk and provide a 20-bit-wide parallel interface to the link layer. SATA is the most popular interface for hard disk drives (HDD) and the ST demonstration coincided with the official announcement by the SATA International Organization (SATA-IO) of the new specification, which doubles the maximum data transfer speed from 3Gb/s to 6Gb/s, during the Intel Developer Forum held in San Francisco.

ST’s 6Gb/s SATA PHY is an IP (Intellectual Property) block designed to be integrated with other functions into low power System-on-Chip (SoC) devices supporting 1.5 and 3 Gb/s as well as 6 Gb/s SATA HDDs for mobile and desktop computing applications. The ST demonstration features the SATA Physical Layer Serial Interface, fabricated in 65nm CMOS technology, that will power new HDDs from a leading manufacturer later this year.

“As consumers store ever-increasing amounts of music, photographs, videos, and other multimedia files on their hard disks, they require faster data transfer rates,” said Vittorio Peduto, General Manager of ST’s Data Storage Division. “ST has worked closely with the SATA-IO organization to ensure that it can manufacture and deliver a proven solution to HDD manufacturers at the earliest possible time.”

ST’s 65nm MIPHY IP block is a significant enhancement to the previous generation in 90nm technology. The new MIPHY delivers greater value to drive manufacturers by offering a 35% reduction in die size and 30% reduction in power consumption. Further architectural improvements in equalization and transmitter and receiver circuitry have resulted in enhanced jitter tolerance and lower transmit jitter. These benefits are especially valuable in the mobile and cost-sensitive desktop HDD PC markets, where a key differentiator for system manufacturers is the ability to deliver high-performance operation at the lowest power.