Detailed Analysis of VITA 93 Quantum Memory Controller
VITA 93 QMC modules, a new mezzanine card standard from VITA, are designed to meet the demands of rugged or industrial applications beyond their traditional military and avionic applications. These modules are compact, making them ideal for fitting in cramped locations, and offer flexible expansion features and tight specifications that suit them for industrial and commercial applications, especially those with shock and vibration challenges.
Design and Features
VITA 93 QMC modules come with two sets of sockets - one for the host interface and one for I/O. The stacking height of the modules is based on the socket on the carrier board. These modules utilize Samtec's AcceleRate HD Ultra-Dense, Slim Body Arrays with a 0.635-mm pitch, providing a high-density connection for high-speed data transfer.
Each signal pin on the I/O side of the modules has a matching ground connection, and there are 40 I/O signals per x1 QMC socket on the I/O side. The host side of the modules also provides a x4 PCI Express (PCIe) interface and additional signals like JTAG. The connector used in VITA 93 QMC is rated up to 64-Gb/s PAM4, making it suitable for high-speed serial interfaces like PCI Express Gen 6 that supports the Compute Express Link (CXL) standard.
Cooling Options
VITA 93 QMC modules can be convection- or conduction-cooled, providing flexibility in thermal management. Convection cooling is simpler and relies on airflow around the module, while conduction cooling provides greater cooling capability but requires additional hardware in the module stack, including a matching heatsink or cold plate on both the module and the carrier board, with thermal interface material (TIM) fitted between them for effective heat transfer.
Cooling hardware must fit within standardized form factor constraints for module stacking. Carrier boards can be customized or based on standards like PCIe or OpenVPX, allowing thermal design flexibility. This cooling flexibility supports robust thermal management in demanding environments typical of industrial and commercial use cases.
Power and Interface
The host side of VITA 93 QMC modules provides power (3.3 V and 12 V) and an I2C interface that supports the Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI). VITA 93 QMC defines four different size modules, scaling by width rather than length.
For more information about VITA 93 QMC, please visit the provided link.
[1] Source: [Link to VITA 93 QMC details]
- The compact VITA 93 QMC modules, used in embedded systems, utilize technology like Samtec's AcceleRate HD Ultra-Dense, Slim Body Arrays for high-speed data-and-cloud-computing connectivity.
- In industrial and commercial applications, the flexible thermal management options of VITA 93 QMC modules, including convection and conduction cooling, contribute to their robust performance in demanding environments.
