Lucent rolls out USB 2.0 controller, transceiver for faster PC link

SAN JOSE -- Prior to the start of the Intel Developer Forum here this week, Lucent Technologies Inc. announced a host controller and a single-chip transceiver for the Universal Serial Bus 2.0 specification. Both devices support USB 2.0 data transfer rates, which is up to 40 time faster than the USB 1.1 specification.

"We have solved the bandwidth shortage problems for both current and future USB connections," said Dan Devine, product manager for Universal Serial Bus devices with Lucent's Microelectronics Group. "The 12 megabits per second of shared bandwidth in USB 1.1 just isn't enough anymore. PCs, PC add-in cards, and set-top boxes need more information carrying capacity to get more done faster.

"With our unique solution, our customers can avoid the hassle of having to develop additional chips themselves or obtain them from other sources to increase USB 1.1 bandwidth," he said. "As a result, they can get their products to their customers quicker."

Lucent said its USS-2000 host controller chip can support higher bandwidth between PCs and peripherals, such as high-resolution printers and scanners, digital video cameras, and modems for cable networks or digital subscriber line (DSL) communications. Lucent said its Bell Labs operation developed the controller to the USB 2.0 spec, enabling up to 480 megabits per second data transmission through connections (USB 1.1 supports 12 Mbits/sec. rates).

The controller contains: a USB2 EHCI host; four USB 1.1 hosts with transceivers; a PCI interface module; a pipeline cache control module; a list processor module; transmit/receive control logic; a serial interface engine; a PCI power management module; a memory buffer; and PCI bus arbiter.

The chip will be fabricated with Lucent's 0.25-micron COM1 process technology, and samples are expected to be available in October. In 10,000-piece quantities, the host controller will sell for $8.50 each.

Lucent's USS2X1 transceiver has been designed to speed introduction of equipment using the USB 2.0 links by at leat six months, according to Lucent Microelectronics. In the transmit direction (from the peripheral to the PC), the transceiver chip performs parallel-to-serial data conversion. In the receive direction (from PC to peripherals) the IC handles serial-to-parallel data conversion.

The transceiver chip will also be manufactured in 0.25-micron CMOS technology, with samples slated to become available in November. The USS2X1 is priced at $3.75 each in quantities of 10,000.