AN3007 Datasheet, PDF (1/20 Pages) M/A-COM Technology Solutions, Inc. – ESD / EOS Protection for GaAs MMIC Switches

AN3007
Application note
100 Mbps and Gigabit Ethernet protection
Introduction
Ethernet is the most commonly used technology for computer networking. This technology
may be supported by copper pairs, coaxial cables or optical fibers. Copper infrastructure is
preferred thanks to its lower cost of deployment.
As the data traffic keeps on growing, data rates of copper Ethernet technologies present on
the market have increased also: from 10 Mbps (10Base-T), then 100 Mbps (100Base-T,
called Fast Ethernet), to 1000 Mbps (1000Base-T, called Gigabit Ethernet).
Figure 1. Simplified Ethernet network
Switch
Ethernet
cards
Figure 1 shows a simplified Ethernet network (star configuration), in which each personal
computer is connected to a concentrator, called a hub or server.
The link between each machine and the hub is done by means of twisted copper pairs and
RJ45 connectors. The max length of this connexion is 100 m.
An Ethernet card is present in each machine and in the hub, and the transmission mode is
full duplex.
March 2010
Doc ID 16018 Rev 1
1/20
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