A 2.5 GHz Optoelectronic Amplifier in 0.18 m CMOS

• Main Author: Calvo, Carlos Roberto
• Other Authors: Demetrios Papageorgiou, Committee Member
• Format: Others
• Published: Digital WPI 2003
• Subjects: limiting amplifier; optic receiver; shunt peaking; transimpedance amplifier; Optoelectronic devices; Optical communications
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/etd-theses/257; https://digitalcommons.wpi.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1256&context=etd-theses

The ever-growing need for high speed data transmission is driven by multimedia and telecommunication demands. Traditional metallic media, such as copper coaxial cable, prove to be a limiting factor for high speed communications. Fiber optic methods provide a feasible solution that lacks the limitations of metallic mediums, including low bandwidth, cross talk caused by magnetic induction, and susceptibility to static and RF interferences. The first scientists to work with fibers optics started in 1970. One of the early challenges they faced was to produce glass fiber that was pure enough to be equal in performance with copper based media. Since then, the technology has advanced tremendously in terms of performance, quality, and consistency. The advancement of fiber optic communication has met its limits, not in the purity of its fiber media used to guide the data-modulated light wave, but in the conversion back and forth between electric signals to light. A high speed optic receiver must be used to convert the incident light into electrical signals. This thesis describes the design of a 2.5 GHz Optoelectronic Amplifier, the front end of an optic receiver. The discussion includes a survey of feasible topologies and an assessment of circuit techniques to enhance performance. The amplifier was designed and realized in a TSMC 0.18 µm CMOS process.