Using an interface wrapper module to simplify implementing PCIe on FPGAs

By Stephane Hauradou, PLDA
Embedded.com (04/07/09, 02:29:00 AM EDT)

Many end-applications today use an FPGA-based design as an inherent component of their solution. They often require PCI Express (PCIe) as an indispensible feature, to provide a standardized interface with other components in the system.

Historically, PCI Express has been difficult to implement in FPGA because it requires multi-gigabit SerDes and analog circuitry with stringent electrical requirements.

Additionally, PCI Express implementations requires complex digital logic including Physical, Data Link and Transaction layers with large data paths running at high frequency, thus making it difficult to implement in FPGA.

The most common methods used for implementing PCI Express in FPGAs include:

• ASSP/PCI Express Bridge chip
• FPGA with digital controller soft-IP and built-in SerDes/PHY
• FPGA with digital controller soft-IP and external discrete PHY chip
• FPGA with built-in PCI Express hard-IP

Each solution has its pros and cons and this paper will explore the different approaches to help pinpoint the best solution for an application.

Figure 1 - ASSP/PCIe Bridge Chip

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