D-PHY Universal Lane Overview
C-PHY Universal Lane Overview
C-PHY running at 4.5Gsps
D-PHY running at 4.5Gbps
The Mixel MIPI C/D-PHY combo IP (MXL-CPHY-DPHY) is a high-frequency low-power, low cost, physical layer compliant with the MIPI® Alliance Standard for C-PHY and D-PHY. (Learn more about Mixel’s MIPI ecosystem at Mixel MIPI Central which gives you access to Mixel’s best of class MIPI ecosystem supply chain partners.)
The PHY can be configured as a MIPI Master or MIPI Slave, supporting camera interface CSI-2 v1.2 or display interface DSI v1.3 applications in the D-PHY mode. It also supports camera interface CSI-2 v1.3 and display interface DSI-2 v1.0 applications in the C-PHY mode. The high-speed signals have a low voltage swing, while low-power signals have large swing. High-Speed functions are used for high-speed data traffic while low-power functions are mostly used for control.
The C-PHY is based on 3-Phase symbol encoding technology, delivering 2.28 bits per symbol over three-wire trios, operating with a symbol rate range of 80 to 4500 Msps per lane, which is the equivalent of about 182.8 to 10260 Mbps per lane.
The D-PHY supports a bit rate range of 80 to 1500 Mbps per Lane without deskew calibration, and up to 4500 Mbps with deskew calibration.
The low-power mode and escape mode are the same in both the D-PHY and C-PHY modes. To minimize EMI, the drivers for low-power mode are slew-rate controlled and current limited. The data rate in low-power mode is 10 Mbps. For a fixed clock frequency, the available data capacity of a PHY configuration can be increased by using more lanes. Effective data throughput can be reduced by employing burst mode communication.
Mixel’s C-PHY/D-PHY combo is a complete PHY, silicon-proven at multiple foundries and multiple nodes. The C/D-PHY is fully integrated and has analog circuitry, digital, and synthesizable logic.
The Mixel MIPI C-PHY/D-PHY Combo (MXL-CPHY-DPHY) Features:
- Dual mode PHY can support C-PHY and D-PHY
- Supports MIPI® D-PHY Specification Version 2.5 with backwards compatibility for v2.1, v1.2, and v1.1
- Supports MIPI C-PHY Specification Version 2.0 with backwards compatibility for v1.1 and v1.2
- Four lanes in D-PHY mode and three lanes in C-PHY mode
- Supports both high-speed and low-power modes
- 80 Mbps to 1.5 Gbps data rate per lane in D-PHY mode without deskew calibration
- Up to 4.5 Gbps data rate per lane in D-PHY mode with deskew calibration
- 80 Msps to 4.5 Gsps symbol rate per lane in C-PHY high-speed mode
- Equivalent to 182.8 Mbps to 10.26 Gbps per lane in C-PHY high-speed mode
- 10 Mbps data rate in low-power mode
- Low power dissipation
- Loopback testability (BIST) support
- Optional resistance termination calibrator
- Deskew calibration support in D-PHY
The Mixel MIPI C/D-PHY combo (MXL-CPHY-DPHY) has many benefits including:
- Area overhead is minimized by reusing all of the D-PHY blocks for the C-PHY operation and sharing of all the serial interface pins
- Comprehensive embedded DFT features for allowing cost-effective high-volume manufacturing tests
- Support for full-speed internal loopback testability with minimal area overhead for high-volume manufacturing tests in the C/D-PHY Universal, TX+, and RX+ configurations
In addition, the Mixel MIPI C-PHY v2.0/MIPI D-PHY v2.5 has additional benefits including:
- Support for MIPI D-PHY v2.5 and MIPI C-PHY v2.0 features not available in previous versions of the specifications such as Spread Spectrum Clocking (SSC) and transmit equalization (de-emphasis)
- Support for new power saving functionality such as HS-TX half swing mode and HS-RX unterminated mode
- Support for new Alternate LP Mode, suitable for IoT applications with long channels, enabling Fast Bus Turnaround
To learn more about Mixel’s silicon-proven IP, please visit Mixel’s contact page or read Mixel MIPI C/D-PHY combo related whitepapers here.