An asynchronous PRBS error checker for testing high-speed self-clocked serial links

Abstract

Pseudo-random bit sequences (PRBS) are commonly used to determine the bit error rate (BER) of serial communication links. On self-clocked links in an asynchronous environment, the data rate may vary over time. An asynchronous PRBS error checker was designed for BER measurements on such links working at data rates exceeding 1 Gbps. To achieve the highest possible speed, the error checker employs a self-timed ring structure with distributed completion detection.