Modulator driver and photoreceiver for 20 Gb/s optic-fiber links

Two integrated circuits, a modulator driver and a photoreceiver integrating a metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) photodetector, a differential transimpedance amplifier and two limiting amplifier stages for high-speed optical-fiber links are presented. The IC's were manufactured in a 0.2 mu m gate-length AlGaAs/GaAs-high-electron mobility transistor (HEMT) technology with a f(T) of 60 GHz. The modulator driver IC operates up to 25 Gb/s with an output voltage swing of 3.3 V(p-p) at each output. The 1.3-1.55 mu m wavelength monolithically integrated photoreceiver optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEIC) has a bandwidth of 17 GHz with a high transimpedance gain of 12 k ohm. Eye diagrams are demonstrated at 20 Gb/s with an output voltage of 1 V(p-p).