Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Introduces Industry's Broadest Family of Low-Power, Highly Integrated ATM SAR and Physical Layer Chips

Business Wire, June 1, 1998

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 1, 1998-- -0-

--   New Segmentation and Reassembly (SAR) controller and companion
     physical-layer (PHY) devices are the industry's most complete
     family of modular, 3.3V solutions.
--   WAN SONET devices with integrated on-chip PLL/clock recovery
     provide best in class jitter performance, exceeding all Bellcore
     jitter specifications, and support ATM's migration into LAN and
     WAN access applications.
--   Seven-member PHY family includes a quad-port 155Mbps solution and
     the industry's first eight-port device for modular xDSL access
     multiplexors (DSLAMs) and other T/E carrier port concentrator
     applications.

Rockwell Semiconductor Systems has introduced the industry's broadest line of low-power ATM silicon, including both a 3.3V Segmentation and Reassembly (SAR) controller and a companion family of 3.3V ATM physical-layer (PHY) interface devices.

The PHY family includes six 155Mbps SONET devices for LAN and WAN end-stations and switches, plus the industry's first modular eight-port device that cost-effectively aggregates sub-50Mbps data ports in ATM access concentrators and DSL Access Multiplexor (DSLAM) equipment.

Rockwell's PHY offering will provide equipment designers with significantly more options and flexibility than was previously possible with competitive ATM silicon solutions. Additionally, the high-density quad-port 155Mbps devices will give switch designers twice the density of competing solutions while consuming halcan optionally be interfaced directly to Rockwes boxes. The new devices join a broad line of T1/E1 framers, line interface units (LIUs), ATM SARs and xDSL modems. Rockwell plans to offer integrated central-site ADSL solutions with ATM uplinks to further improve system-level design options in such applications as DSLAMs and other multiservice boxes and port-concentration equipment.

With its new 3.3V ATM products, Rockwell now offers 13 ATM-specific products that can be combined with other WAN and access solutions to form a portfolio of 18 semiconductor solutions for system-level network access equipment design.

"ATM is the dominant choice for WANs and public networks. It's the principal architecture for next-generation multiservice WAN switches, and it is emerging as the primary transport technology for use with xDSL in the United States and overseas," said Warner Andrews, manager of ATM strategic marketing for Rockwell's Network Access Division.

"Our ATM PHY layer family addresses all of these applications and more, and is backed by one of the industry's broadest portfolios of companion silicon for increasingly feature-rich multiserRockwell's RS8234 and new RS8235 SAR controller, a 3.3V version of the company's xBR ServiSAR(tm) family thaations from end-stations to interworking boxes vides equipment designers with a single source for the full range of T1/E1, xDSL, T3/E3 and OC-3 transport applications, and Rockwell also plans to extend the family into OC-12 and OC-48 applications. The products are tailored to the following applications:

WAN/LAN Applications

The RS825x family offers all the functionality necessary 8252/3 dual-port, and RS8254/5 quad-port 155Mbpdensity quad-port Ball Grid Array (BGA) packagesQFPs.

The Rockwell 0.35m CMOS process redu hardware-based implementation of industry-stant architecture for supporting all ATM interfacese interface allows it to support either PDH fra

The ATM cell delineation block is fully compliant with ATM industry standards, and the total solution dramatically reduces cost per port and PCB real estate as comd the devices in state-of-the-art 27mm BGAs to simplify volume board assembly.

Rockwell is sampling its,000 pieces. Prototypes of selected members of All PHY devices are sampling now and will entdigital infotainment.

These product platfisit the Rockwell Semiconductor Systems Web site at http://www.rss.rockwell.com/.>Rockwell (NYSE: ROK) is a global electronic controls and communications company with leadership positions in industrial automation, avionics and communications, semiconductor systems, and electronic commerce, with fiscal 1997 sales of approximately $8 billion and 48,000 employees. Rockwell's world headquarters is located in Costa Mesa in Orange County, Calif.

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