Microchip Introduces 20‑Output Clock Buffers Exceeding PCIe Gen 5 Jitter for DB2000Q/QL Standards

As data centers scale to higher bandwidths and faster infrastructure, the demand for precision timing devices rises sharply. Microchip Technology now offers four 20‑output differential clock buffers that surpass PCIe Gen 5 jitter requirements, delivering the performance needed for next‑generation data‑center workloads.

The ZL40292 (85 Ω termination) and ZL40293 (100 Ω termination) are engineered to meet the new DB2000Q specification, while the ZL40294 (85 Ω) and ZL40295 (100 Ω) satisfy the DB2000QL industry standard. All four devices also comply with PCIe Gen 1‑4 specifications, making them ideal for servers, storage systems, and a wide array of PCIe applications.

Designed for chipsets that distribute clocks across multiple peripherals—such as CPUs, FPGAs, and PHY layers—these buffers deliver an additive jitter of only ~20 femtoseconds. This value is far below the DB2000Q/QL limit of 80 femtoseconds, giving designers generous timing margins while pushing data rates higher. By maintaining signal integrity across up to 20 outputs, the buffers preserve clock quality throughout the system.

Power efficiency is a key advantage. Leveraging Low‑Power High‑Speed Current Steering Logic (LP‑HCSL), each buffer consumes roughly one‑third the power of conventional HCSL devices. This reduction not only saves on power budgets but also allows for longer trace lengths, simplifying board layout and trimming component count. For example, the ZL40292 can eliminate up to 80 termination resistors—four per output—compared to standard HCSL buffers.