The front-end of a typical optical receiver consists of a photodiode that converts optical signals into current signals. In order to process these optical signals using electronics, a Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA) is utilized to convert the photodiode current signals into voltage signals, which can then be processed in the voltage domain (amplified, digitized, etc.).

Optical receivers have many different uses covering simple infrared receivers, high speed fiber optic communication and light based instrumentation. All of them have an optical receiver that converts photons to current followed by a transimpedance amplifier to convert the current to a useful voltage. Different systems create different requirements for each receiver. High speed digital communication require high throughput with enough sensitivity to keep the bit error rate low. Instrumentation receivers have a lower bandwidth, but higher gain and sensitivity requirements. In this thesis an optical receiver for use in instrumentation in presented. It is an entirely monolithic design with the photodiodes on the same substrate as the CMOS circuitry. This allows for it to be built into a focal-plane array, but it places some restriction on the area. It is also designed for in-situ testing and must be able to cancel any low frequency noise caused by ambient light. The area restrictions prohibit the use of a DC blocking capacitor to reject the low frequency noise. In place a servo loop was wrapped around the system to reject any DC offset. A modified Cherry-Hooper architecture was used for the transimpedance amplifier. This provides the flexibility to create an amplifier with high gain and wide bandwidth that is independent of the input capacitance. The downside is the increased complexity of the design makes stability paramount to the design. Another drawback is the high noise associated with low input impedance that decouples the input capacitance from the bandwidth. This problem is compounded by the servo loop feed which leaves the output noise of some amplifiers directly referred to the input. An in depth analysis of each circuit block's noise contribution is presented.

An up-to-date, comprehensive guide for advanced electrical engineering studentsand electrical engineers working in the IC and optical industries This book covers the major transimpedance amplifier (TIA) topologies and their circuit implementations for optical receivers. This includes the shunt-feedback TIA, common-base TIA, common-gate TIA, regulated-cascode TIA, distributed-amplifier TIA, nonresistive feedback TIA, current-mode TIA, burst-mode TIA, and analog-receiver TIA. The noise, transimpedance, and other performance parameters of these circuits are analyzed and optimized. Topics of interest include post amplifiers, differential vs. single-ended TIAs, DC input current control, and adaptive transimpedance. The book features real-world examples of TIA circuits for a variety of receivers (direct detection, coherent, burst-mode, etc.) implemented in a broad array of technologies (HBT, BiCMOS, CMOS, etc.). The book begins with an introduction to optical communication systems, signals, and standards. It then moves on to discussions of optical fiber and photodetectors. This discussion includes p-i-n photodetectors; avalanche photodetectors (APD); optically preamplified detectors; integrated detectors, including detectors for silicon photonics; and detectors for phase-modulated signals, including coherent detectors. This is followed by coverage of the optical receiver at the system level: the relationship between noise, sensitivity, optical signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR), and bit-error rate (BER) is explained; receiver impairments, such as intersymbol interference (ISI), are covered. In addition, the author presents TIA specifications and illustrates them with example values from recent product data sheets. The book also includes: Many numerical examples throughout that help make the material more concrete for readers Real-world product examples that show the performance of actual IC designs Chapter summaries that highlight the key points Problems and their solutions for readers who want to practice and deepen their understanding of the material Appendices that cover communication signals, eye diagrams, timing jitter, nonlinearity, adaptive equalizers, decision point control, forward error correction (FEC), and second-order low-pass transfer functions Analysis and Design of Transimpedance Amplifiers for Optical Receivers belongs on the reference shelves of every electrical engineer working in the IC and optical industries. It also can serve as a textbook for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students studying integrated circuit design and optical communication.

Highly Sensitive Optical Receivers primarily treats the circuit design of optical receivers with external photodiodes. Continuous-mode and burst-mode receivers are compared. The monograph first summarizes the basics of III/V photodetectors, transistor and noise models, bit-error rate, sensitivity and analog circuit design, thus enabling readers to understand the circuits described in the main part of the book. In order to cover the topic comprehensively, detailed descriptions of receivers for optical data communication in general and, in particular, optical burst-mode receivers in deep-sub-μm CMOS are presented. Numerous detailed and elaborate illustrations facilitate better understanding.

In the world of optical data communications this book will be an absolute must-read. It focuses on optical communications for short and very short distance applications and discusses the monolithic integration of optical receivers with processing elements in standard CMOS technologies. What’s more, it provides the reader with the necessary background knowledge to fully understand the trade-offs in short-distance communication receiver design and presents the key issues to be addressed in the development of such receivers in CMOS technologies. Moreover, novel design approaches are presented.

This book opens with the basics of the design of opto-electronic interface circuits. The text continues with an in-depth analysis of the photodiode, transimpedance amplifier (TIA) and limiting amplifier (LA). To thoroughly describe light detection mechanisms in silicon, first a one-dimensional and second a two-dimensional model is developed. All material is experimentally verified with several CMOS implementations, with ultimately a fully integrated Gbit/s optical receiver front-end including photodiode, TIA and LA.