A 100 Gbps True Full-Duplex Link with Interference Cancellation in the Background

In this work, we introduce the concept of true full-duplexing (TFD) for high-speed interconnects. Full-duplex transceivers at the two ends of an interconnect can support simultaneous bidirectional data transfer. Full-duplexing can help in increasing the throughput per lane and also enable higher data transfer bandwidths without an increase in the routing density. The proposed TFD approach allows for the use of independent modulation schemes as well as independent baud-rates by the transceivers on either side of the interconnect. The approach also obviates the requirement of a dedicated start-up protocol or a training sequence for cancellation of near-end interference in the TFD transceivers. In this work, we have used a correlation-based cancellation technique which can support background cancellation of the interference. Here, we demonstrate a 100 Gbps TFD link over a 1 m long coaxial cable with off-the-shelf components, which is the first demonstration of a full-duplex communication link at such a high data rate.