A 6 Vpp, 52 dB, 30-dB dynamic range, 43 Gb/s InP DHBT differential limiting amplifier
16 October 2011
We report the design, fabrication and measurement of a 43 Gb/s differential limiting amplifier integrating a transimpedance amplifier (TIA) as input stage and a distributed amplifier (Driver) as output stage, realised in a 1.5-µm indium phosphide (InP) double heterojunction bipolar transistor (DHBT) technology. With a small-signal differential gain of 52 dB, the TIA-Driver provides a constant 6-VPP differential output amplitude for an input amplitude ranging from 12.7 mVPP to 405 mVPP, achieving more than 30 dB of electrical dynamic range, for a power consumption of 2.7 W. Designed to be used between a photodiode and an electro-optical modulator, this circuit is well suited for optical-to-electrical-to-optical (OEO) wavelength converters at up to 43 Gb/s. Index Terms -- InP, DHBT, distributed amplifiers, optical fiber communications.
