Applications Information (Continued)
The TRI-STATE function allows the driver outputs to be disabled, thus obtaining an even lower power state when the 
transmission of data is not required.
The DS90LV047A has a flow-through pinout that allows for 
easy PCB layout. The LVDS signals on one side of the device easily allows for matching electrical lengths of the differential pair trace lines between the driver and the receiver as 
well as allowing the trace lines to be close together to couple 
noise as common-mode. Noise isolation is achieved with the 
LVDS signals on one side of the device and the TTL signals 
on the other side.
Power Decoupling Recommendations:
Bypass capacitors must be used on power pins. Use high 
frequency ceramic (surface mount is recommended) 0.1µF 
and 0.001µF capacitors in parallel at the power supply pin 
with the smallest value capacitor closest to the device supply 
pin. Additional scattered capacitors over the printed circuit 
board will improve decoupling. Multiple vias should be used 
to connect the decoupling capacitors to the power planes. A 
10µF (35V) or greater solid tantalum capacitor should be 
connected at the power entry point on the printed circuit 
board between the supply and ground.
PC Board considerations:
Use at least 4 PCB layers (top to bottom); LVDS signals, 
ground, power, TTL signals.
Isolate TTL signals from LVDS signals, otherwise the TTL 
may couple onto the LVDS lines. It is best to put TTL and 
LVDS signals on different layers which are isolated by a 
power/ground plane(s).
Keep drivers and receivers as close to the (LVDS port side) 
connectors as possible.
Differential Traces:
Use controlled impedance traces which match the differential impedance of your transmission medium (ie. cable) and 
termination resistor. Run the differential pair trace lines as 
close together as possible as soon as they leave the IC 
(stubs should be
<
10mm long). This will help eliminate reflections and ensure noise is coupled as common-mode. In 
fact, we have seen that differential signals which are 1mm 
apart radiate far less noise than traces 3mm apart since 
magnetic field cancellation is much better with the closer 
traces. In addition, noise induced on the differential lines is 
much more likely to appear as common-mode which is rejected by the receiver.
Match electrical lengths between traces to reduce skew. 
Skew between the signals of a pair means a phase difference between signals which destroys the magnetic field cancellation benefits of differential signals and EMI will result. 
(Note the velocity of propagation, v = c/Er where c (the 
speed of light) = 0.2997mm/ps or 0.0118 in/ps). Do not rely 
solely on the autoroute function for differential traces. Carefully review dimensions to match differential impedance and 
provide isolation for the differential lines. Minimize the number or vias and other discontinuities on the line.
Avoid 90˚ turns (these cause impedance discontinuities). 
Use arcs or 45˚ bevels.
Within a pair of traces, the distance between the two traces 
should be minimized to maintain common-mode rejection of 
the receivers. On the printed circuit board, this distance 
should remain constant to avoid discontinuities in differential 
impedance. Minor violations at connection points are allowable.
Termination:
Use a termination resistor which best matches the differential impedance or your transmission line. The resistor should 
be between 90Ω and 130Ω. Remember that the current 
mode outputs need the termination resistor to generate the 
differential voltage. LVDS will not work without resistor termination. Typically, connecting a single resistor across the pair 
at the receiver end will suffice.
Surface mount 1%to 2%resistors are best. PCB stubs, 
component lead, and the distance from the termination to the 
receiver inputs should be minimized. The distance between 
the termination resistor and the receiver should be
<
10mm
(12mm MAX).
Probing LVDS Transmission Lines:
Always use high impedance (
>
100kΩ), low capacitance
(
<
2 pF) scope probes with a wide bandwidth (1 GHz)
scope. Improper probing will give deceiving results.
Cables and Connectors, General Comments:
When choosing cable and connectors for LVDS it is important to remember:
Use controlled impedance media. The cables and connectors you use should have a matched differential impedance 
of about 100Ω. They should not introduce major impedance 
discontinuities.
Balanced cables (e.g. twisted pair) are usually better than 
unbalanced cables (ribbon cable, simple coax.) for noise reduction and signal quality. Balanced cables tend to generate 
less EMI due to field canceling effects and also tend to pick 
up electromagnetic radiation a common-mode (not differential mode) noise which is rejected by the receiver.
For cable distances
<
0.5M, most cables can be made to 
work effectively. For distances 0.5M ≤ d ≤ 10M, CAT 3 (category 3) twisted pair cable works well, is readily available 
and relatively inexpensive.
Fail-Safe Feature:
The LVDS receiver is a high gain, high speed device that 
amplifies a small differential signal (20mV) to CMOS logic 
levels. Due to the high gain and tight threshold of the receiver,care should be taken to prevent noise from appearing 
as a valid signal.
The receiver’s internal fail-safe circuitry is designed to 
source/sink a small amount of current, providing fail-safe 
protection (a stable known state of HIGH output voltage) for 
floating, terminated or shorted receiver inputs.
1. Open Input Pins. The DS90LV048A is a quad receiver
device, and if an application requires only 1, 2 or 3 receivers, the unused channel(s) inputs should be left 
OPEN. Do not tie unused receiver inputs to ground or 
any other voltages. The input is biased by internal high 
value pull up and pull down resistors to set the output to 
a HIGH state. This internal circuitry will guarantee a 
HIGH, stable output state for open inputs.
2. Terminated Input. If the driver is disconnected (cable
unplugged), or if the driver is in a TRI-STATE or poweroff condition, the receiver output will again be in a HIGH 
state, even with the end of cable 100Ω termination resistor across the input pins. The unplugged cable can become a floating antenna which can pick up noise. If the 
cable picks up more than 10mV of differential noise, the 
receiver may see the noise as a valid signal and switch. 
To insure that any noise is seen as common-mode and 
not differential, a balanced interconnect should be used. 
Twisted pair cable will offer better balance than flat ribbon cable.
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