This work investigates the feasibility of the integration of interface circuits for op tical communication systems in a standard unmodified digital CMOS process. This paves the way for single chip communication systems where the optical interfaces are integrated on the same die as the required digital circuitry. The optical receiver is a key element in the optical communication link. In this work, a transimpedance amplifier, which consists of a voltage amplifier with resis tive feedback, is used as the first stage. Unlike for many other circuits, the optimal place of its dominant pole is the input node. It is also demonstrated that a high gain of the voltage amplifier is primordial to obtain good performances and that this may be obtained through the use of multiple stages. Noise aspects are investigated and the conclusion is drawn that the amplifier's input capacitance can be smaller than the photodiode's capacitance for optimal performance.

Summarizes the current knowledge on interface circuits, i. e. integrated receivers and transmitters, for optical communication

Klappentext

This book presents several circuits that are required for the full integration of an optical transmitter in standard CMOS. The main emphasis is placed on high-speed receivers with a bitrate of up to 1 Gb/s. The possibility of including the photodiode in a receiver is investigated and the problems encountered are discussed. Concerning the transmitter aspect, a CMOS LED driver is described. The final chapter addresses electrical interference problems on a chip and proposes countermeasures. The various circuits in this book have all been realized and measurement results are presented, paving the way for single chip communication systems in which the optical interfaces are integrated on the same die as the digital circuitry.

Inhalt
1 Introduction.- 2 The CMOS Optical Receiver.- 3 Integrated CMOS Optical Receivers.- 4 Full Integration of a Standard CMOS Optical Transmitter.- 5 Electrical Interference in Mixed-Mode Integrated Circuits.- 6 Final Discussion.