Table of Contents:

Definition and Overview

1. Introduction

2. LVDS Physical Layer

3. Multiple Technologies and Supply Voltages

4. Gigabits at Milliwatts

5. Flat Supply Current versus Operating Frequency

6. Low Electromagnetic Interference

7. Cost Benefits

8. Many Channels per Chip

9. DC Balance for Longer Cables

Self-Test

Glossary

PDF of this tutorial

Definition
Low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) uses high-speed analog circuit techniques to provide multigigabit data transfers on copper interconnects and is a generic interface standard for high-speed data transmission. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA)/Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA)–644-1995 standard specifies the physical layer as an electronic interface. This standard defines driver and receiver electrical characteristics only. It does not define protocol, interconnect, or connector details because these details are application-specific. The LVDS Standard’s Working Group chose to define only the electrical characteristics to ensure that LVDS becomes a multipurpose interface standard. Therefore, each application that uses LVDS should also reference the appropriate protocol and interconnect standard.

Overview
This tutorial discusses the technological advantages that LVDS brings to high-speed digital data transfer (100 Mbps and higher) applications.