Realtek SD Express Solution
COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2023

© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

1About Realtek Card Readers
Realtek is a world leading fabless IC design company that provides a variety ofIC products
 The Realtek Card Reader product line focuses on high-speed connectivity
technology

PCIe/USB SD card reader/USB HUB/USB Type-C/Power Delivery

Realtek SD card readers are widely adopted by ODM/OEM
 Tight partnership with SD card and host chipset vendors
 Offer a wide choice of SD card readers
SD/Host Interface
USBPCIe
UHS-I

RTS5176E/RTS5306E/RTS5350

RTS5227S/RTS5228

UHS-II

RTS5329

RTS5250SSD Express

RTL9211DS
RTL9220DP

NEW© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

RTS5261
RTS5264NEW

What is SD Express?
Leverage the benefits of SD card and PCIe NVMe SSD•SDCard••PCIe
NVMeSSD••

Most widely usedremovable media
Supported by most
host devices
Tiny form factor

High speed & Lowlatency
PCIe is a widelyused high-speed
interface standard© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

• Extreme highspeed (up to3938MB/s)• Backward
compatible withold SD hosts

SD Express • Tiny form factor
Card

The Secret of SD ExpressHow does SD Express achieve high speed and backward compatibility?
SD7.1 SD
Express Card

SD CardSDInterface

SD8.0 SD
Express Card
SDInterface

SD Interface:
For backward
compatibility

PCIe Interface:
For high speed
PCIeInterface
1 lane© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

PCIeInterface
2 laneSD Express ReaderWhy do I need an SD Express reader?
 An SD Express card reader can unlock the true speed of SD Express cards
 The SD Express card can also run in backward compatible mode,
however the speed might be limited to UHS-I SDR104 (104MB/s)© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

SD Express FamilyConsider your end-product type and choose the optimal design
The table below shows combinations of reader and card

Host/Card

SD7.x Card
PCIe Gen3x1 (G3L1)

SD8.0 Card
PCIe Gen3x2 (G3L2)

SD8.0 Card
PCIe Gen4x1 (G4L1)

SD8.0 Card
PCIe Gen4x2 (G4L2)

SD7.1 Reader
supports up to
PCIe Gen3x1 (G3L1)

985MB/s

985MB/s

985MB/s

985MB/s

SD8.0 Reader
supports up to
PCIe Gen3x2 (G3L2)

985MB/s

1969MB/s

985MB/s

1969MB/s

SD8.0 Reader
supports up to
PCIe Gen4x1 (G4L1)

985MB/s

985MB/s1969MB/s

1969MB/s

SD8.0 Reader
Supports up toPCIe Gen4x2 (G4L2)

985MB/s

1969MB/s

1969MB/s

3938MB/s© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Implement SD Express Reader


Select an SD Express reader according to your product type and host interface
Reader for built-in host system: Suggest using PCIe interface RTS5264/RTS5261
 Example use: Laptop, Tablet, Gaming console Reader in a detachable device: Suggest using USB interface RTL9220DP/RTL9211DS
 Example use: Docking station, Dongle, USB card reader
Detachable Device

Host System

Host SystemSDSD

HostChipset

PCIe

RTS5264

SD ExpressUHS-II

HostChipset

SD Express
USB3.2

RTL9220DP

SDSD ExpressSpecial notes for PCIe interface implementation
Host chipset should support PCIe hot plug
Vendor driver needs to be installed in the host system=> If the above requirements cannot be met, use a USB interface.
© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

RTS5261
SD Express
Reader Controller

RTS5261Interface

PCIePackage

QFN32 4x4Power3.3V© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

8RTS5261
SD Express
Reader Controller

Host SystemSD

HostChipset

PCIe

RTS5261

SD Express

The world’s 1st mass-produced PCIe SD Express
reader controller
 Widely adopted by laptop makers in gaming,
creator, and workstation laptops
 Integrates all power sources for SD/SD Express
cards. Reduces BOM cost and design effort
 Co-layout with Realtek UHS-I RTS5227S/RTS5228,UHS-II RTS5250S, SD Ex RTS5264 solution
 Design kit available for SD7.1 or SD8.0 design
SD Express SD8.0 Gen3 x2© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

9

RTS5264
SD Express
Reader Controller

RTS5264

Interface

PCIe

Package

QFN32 4x4Power3.3V© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

10

RTS5264

Host System

SD ExpressReader Controller

SD

HostChipset

PCIe

RTS5264

SD ExpressUHS-IIRealtek 2nd Gen SD Express Reader. Evolved fromRealtek market proven design RTS5261
 Supports UHS-II and SD8.0 SD Express in thesame SD slot
 Integrates all power sources for SD/SD Express
cards. Reduces BOM cost and design effort
 Co-layout with Realtek UHS-I RTS5227S/RTS5228,UHS-II RTS5250S, SD Ex RTS5261 solution
 Design kit available for SD7.1 or SD8.0 design
SD Express SD8.0 Gen3 x2© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

11RTS5264
SD Express
Reader Controller
Performance reference result

UHS-II

UHS-I

SD Express SD7.1 Gen3 x112

© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Co-Layout for Faster Product Design

It is common to use one PCB design for different segments in Notebooks.
 Realtek’s PCIe readers can co-layout and use the same QFN32 4x4 footprint Realtek’s PCIe card readers make different segment designs easyPremium

BasicMainstream
PCB

SoC+SoCSoC
RTS5261

RTS5228

RTS5261 supports
SD Express

RTS5228 supports
UHS-I

RTS5264

GPU+RTS5264 supports
SD Express & UHS-II

PCB

PCBGPU© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

RTL9211DS
SD Express
Reader Controller

RTL9211DSInterface

USB3.2 Gen2Package

QFN68 8x8

Power5V© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

14

RTL9211DS
SD Express
Reader Controller
The world’s 1st mass-produced USB SDExpress reader controllerSupports USB3.2 Gen2 10Gbps

Widely adopted by dongle makers

Design kit available for SD7.1 or SD8.0 design

Super Speed Plus (UASP)

Seq 1M Q8T1
Seq 128K Q32T1
RND4K Q32T16
RND4K Q1T1

Read
971
924
252
27

Write
984987259
81

SD Express SD8.0 Gen3 x2© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

15

RTL9220(DP)SD Express
Reader Controller

RTL9220(DP)InterfaceUSB3.2 Gen2x2Package

QFN88 10x10

Power5V© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

16

RTL9220(DP)SD ExpressReader ControllerThe world’s 1st mass-produced USB SD
Express reader controller is able to support 1
LUN/port and dual LUN/port applications

Supports USB3.2 Gen2x2 20Gbps

Widely adopted by dongle makers

Design kit available for SD7.1 or SD8.0 design
SD Express SD8.0 Gen3 x2© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

17

Dual LUN, Double Productivity
Dual LUN means a card reader can support dual SD slots
 Two SD slots can operate at the same time
 A classic design is one standard SD slot and one micro SD slot
 No requirement for dedicated micro SD adapter

Dual LUN SD Card Reader© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.

New Applications for SD Express

Beyond Removable Storage
 SD Express can provide SSD-like speed; it can be a removable bootabledeviceSD Express Whole PC onto one card becomes a possibility© SD Association. SD, microSD and related marks and logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. © SD-3C LLC. All Rights Reserved.