The Renesas VersaClock® family of programmable clock generators offer a combination of low power consumption, flexibility and performance to simplify system design by replacing multiple discrete timing components and lower costs by reducing BOM and board space. These features offer greater versatility in consumer, data communications, telecommunications, and networking applications.

The VersaClock product family supports operating voltages from 1.8V to 3.3V, differential (LVPECL/HCSL/LVDS/LP-HCSL) and LVCMOS output types, up to 3 PLLs and multiple fractional dividers to accurately generate virtually any frequency. Products satisfy system requirements from oscillator replacement to PCIe® Gen 1/2/3/4/5/6 and to communications applications, while consuming very little power.

VersaClock 7 Key Features and Benefits

  • 8-, 12- differential outputs with integrated crystal options
  • 150fs RMS 12k–20MHz phase jitter (typ)
  • 1.8V/2.5V/3.3V flexible power rails
  • Digital holdover and hitless switching
  • SPI / I2C/ SMBUS interfaces support
  • PCIe Gen 1/2/3/4/5/6 support
  • 5 × 5 mm, 6 × 6 mm space saving QFN package
  • One-time programmable (OTP) or EEPROM up to 27 configurations

VersaClock 3S Key Features and Benefits

  • 2mA – 10mA – 15mA low power three-PLL design for easy power and performance trade-off
  • PCIe Gen 1/2/3 support
  • < 2µA 32.768kHz RTC clock
  • I2C interface
  • Configurable OE pin function as OE, PD#, PPS or DFC control function
 

VersaClock 6E Key Features and Benefits

  • < 500fs RMS phase jitter for stringent noise requirements
  • 30mA core current consumption
  • Any-in, any-out frequencies with 4 fractional dividers
  • No external memory needed – 4 configurations available in OTP
  • I2C programmable
  • PCIe Gen1/2/3/4/5 support

Various subsets of the VersaClock family are targeted for different applications, including VersaClock 7, VersaClock 5, VersaClock 6, and VersaClock 3S.

The VersaClock 7 is the latest member of Renesas’ VersaClock family for PCIe and Ethernet applications in high-end computing, wired infrastructure and data center equipment. The VersaClock 7 offerings include 5-, 8- and 12-output devices. The 8-ouput option is offered in a 5mm x 5 mm QFN package that is 30 percent smaller than competing options, saving valuable board space and enabling more compact designs.

VersaClock 7 devices simplify system design by replacing multiple discrete timing components and reducing bill of materials (BOM). They support operating voltages from 1.8 to 3.3 V, differential (LVPECL/ HCSL/LVDS/LP-HCSL) and LVCMOS output types, up to 3 PLLs and multiple fractional dividers to accurately generate virtually any frequency. The VersaClock 7 delivers unmatched flexibility, enabling designers to configure frequencies, Input/Output (I/O) levels, and General Purpose I/O (GPIO) pin functionality. It provides the industry’s best combination of performance, low power consumption and cost-effectiveness

The VersaClock 6 programmable clock generator family delivers flexible, low-power timing for demanding high-performance applications. With RMS phase jitter of less than 500 femtoseconds (fs), the VersaClock 6 products deliver the best performance to date for Renesas' award-winning VersaClock family, offering an exceptional combination of jitter performance, flexibility, and low operating power. With RMS phase jitter less than 500fs over the full 12kHz to 20MHz integration range, the new devices meet the stringent jitter and phase noise requirements of such technologies as 10G Ethernet, PCI Express Gen 1/2/3, stringent PHY reference clocks and the newest generations of high-end FPGAs — all while operating at about half the core power of competing devices. The devices’ core current consumption of 30mA eases system thermal constraints and reduces operating power expenses. In addition, the VersaClock 6 devices are footprint compatible with their VersaClock 5 counterparts, enabling performance scalability with minimal design changes.

VersaClock 5 provides 0.7ps phase jitter, and the ability to store up to four different frequency configurations in a single device. With RMS phase jitter less than 0.7 picoseconds over the full 12kHz to 20MHz integration range, VersaClock 5 meets the stringent jitter requirements of PCI Express Gen 1/2/3, USB 3.0, and 1G/10G Ethernet. The high-performance clock generator operates at less than 100mW core power (50 percent lower than competing devices), helping to ease system thermal constraints, reduce operating power expenses.

The VersaClock 3S devices deliver innovative power-saving features while saving board space by eliminating the need for multiple discrete timing components. Delivering low power and low jitter scalability, the VersaClock 3S devices meet requirements for widely used standards including PCI Express® Gen 1/2/3 and are ideal for consumer, industrial, computing, and automotive applications.

The Renesas VersaClock programmable product line provides a competitive solution to your product needs and time-to-market requirements. VersaClock products from Renesas provide an almost universal solution for a variety of high-performance clock applications.

Documentation

Type Title Date
Application Note PDF 1.95 MB
Overview PDF 392 KB
Application Note PDF 1.17 MB
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VersaClock®7 Evaluation Board Demonstration

Learn more about how to configure the VersaClock®7 evaluation board using the supporting RICBox software. VersaClock®7 devices achieve any frequency-in, any frequency-out for high speed SerDes used in switches routers, accelerator cards, and server applications.