What is "non-return-to-zero"

NRZ can refer to any of the following serializer line codes:

Code name

Alternate Name

Complete Name

Description

NRZ(L)

NRZL

Non-Return-to-Zero Level

Appears as raw binary bits without any coding. Typically binary 1 maps to logic-level high, and binary 0 maps to logic-level low. Inverse logic mapping is also a type of NRZ(L) code.

NRZ(I)

NRZI

Non-Return-to-Zero Inverted

refers to either an NRZ(M) or NRZ(S) code.

NRZ(M)

NRZM

Non-Return-to-Zero Mark

serializer mapping {0:constant, 1:toggle}

NRZ(S)

NRZS

Non-Return-to-Zero Space

serializer mapping {0:toggle, 1:constant}

The NRZ code also can be classified as a polar or non-polar, where polar refers to a mapping to voltages of +V and -V, and non-polar refers to a voltage mapping of +V and 0, for the corresponding binary values of '0' and '1'.

In telecommunication, a non-return-to-zero (NRZ) line code is a binary code in which ones are represented by one significant condition, usually a positive voltage, while zeros are represented by some other significant condition, usually a negative voltage, with no other neutral or rest condition. The pulses in NRZ have more energy than a return-to-zero (RZ) code, which also has an additional rest state beside the conditions for ones and zeros. NRZ is not inherently a self-clocking signal, so some additional synchronization technique must be used for avoiding bit slips; examples of such techniques are a run length limited constraint and a parallel synchronization signal.

For a given data signaling rate, i.e., bit rate, the NRZ code requires only half the baseband bandwidth required by the Manchester code (the passband bandwidth is the same). When used to represent data in an asynchronous communication scheme, the absence of a neutral state requires other mechanisms for bit synchronization when a separate clock signal is not available.

NRZ-Level itself is not a synchronous system but rather an encoding that can be used in either a synchronous or asynchronous transmission environment, that is, with or without an explicit clock signal involved. Because of this, it is not strictly necessary to discuss how the NRZ-Level encoding acts "on a clock edge" or "during a clock cycle" since all transitions happen in the given amount of time representing the actual or implied integral clock cycle. The real question is that of sampling—the high or low state will be received correctly provided the transmission line has stabilized for that bit when the physical line level is sampled at the receiving end.

However, it is helpful to see NRZ transitions as happening on the trailing (falling) clock edge in order to compare NRZ-Level to other encoding methods, such as the mentioned Manchester code, which requires clock edge information (is the XOR of the clock and NRZ, actually) see the difference between NRZ-Mark and NRZ-Inverted.