Ravi Kollipara, Senior Principal Engineer, Rambus, Inc.
Frank Lambrecht, Senior Member of Technical Staff, Rambus, Inc.
Chuck Yuan, Engineering Manager, Rambus, Inc.
Jared Zerbe, Engineering Director, Rambus, Inc.
Gautam Patel, Amphenol TCS
Tom Cohen, Amphenol TCS
Brian Kirk, Amphenol TCS

There is a general consensus that 10-Gbps backplane copper serial links will be deployed in the near future. This presentation will take a look at the practical and cost-effective design aspects of the 10-12.5 Gbps links as well as the feasibility and requirements for the next generation of serial links operating in the 20-25 Gbps range. Designers today are not only designing the next generation of backplanes, but are also considering the requirements of the following generation, even at a slightly higher current cost. The design aspects considered include choice of various dielectric materials, connector technologies, via technologies, and active signal-conditioning technologies.