CMOS-based photoreceiver arrays for page-oriented optical storage access

Abstract

We report on the design, characterization, and page-oriented read demonstration of a 5×5 photoreceiver array fabricated within the technology constraints of a standard 1.2-μm CMOS fabrication process. These monolithic circuits include a silicon-based photodetector, a multistage current amplifier, and a thresholding circuit that allows the photoreceiver sensitivity to be tuned over a wide range of optical power levels. In addition to characterizing the performance of individual photoreceiver circuits, we demonstrate the ability to interface directly with very large scale integration logic circuits. Finally, a 5×5 photoreceiver array is used to detect and then display a two-dimensional pattern of bits arranged in a page-oriented data format.