1 Introduction

Industrial automation has become much more sophisticated with integrated image processing, video analytics and sensor networks. High bandwidth data communication has imposed significant challenges on preserving signal integrity to avoid data loss across high speed industrial communication links. Ensuring reliable and low latency communication from one machine to another is critical to achieve the precision of the industrial operation.

Various high-speed communication protocols such as USB, PCIe, HDMI, Display Port and Ethernet are being used in industrial interface links. These interfaces have been increased to multi-gigabit speed level to facilitate the increasing bandwidth needs of the data processing. The high-speed signals face significant challenges to maintain signal integrity (SI) when transmitting over long printed circuit board (PCB) traces or cables. To combat signal integrity challenges and provide a reliable and error free link signal conditioning components such as redrivers, retimers or active multiplexers are often required. The signal conditioners help compensate for and overcome signal impairments and losses of a high speed link. A signal conditioning element in a link can help pass standard compliance and provide margin in a cost effective way.