1-Gb/s two-beam transimpedance smart-pixel optical receivers made from hybrid GaAs MQW modulators bonded to 0.8 μm silicon CMOS

Abstract

We have made two-beam smart-pixel optical receivers using a hybrid attachment of GaAs-AlGaAs multiple quantum-well (MQW) pin devices to foundry-fabricated 0.8-μm linewidth CMOS circuits. Results from a repeater in which receiver output is coupled to a transmitter circuit driving a differential pair of MQW modulators are reported. When tested with high-contrast, directly-modulated laser diodes, an optical energy of 26 fJ (-21.5 dBm) in each beam is required to obtain a bit error rate of 1×10/sup -9/ at 622 Mb/s, and operation at this error rate is observed to 1 Gb/s. The described receiver (one of several we have made) has three amplification stages, with the first being of the transimpedance type. The reported receiver fits easily within a 45×25 μm area, and the entire repeater circuit draws about 2 mA from a 5-V power supply, with the transmitter accounting for about 20 percent of the total.