The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

OPTICAL DETECTORS AND RECEIVERS

Notes prepared for EE 6310 by Professor Cyrus D. Cantrell AugustDecember 2003

c C. D. Cantrell (06/2003)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

DETECTORS FOR OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS (1) All detectors for optical communications use optical absorption in a depletion region to convert photons into electron-hole pairs, and then sense the number of pairs Because of the electric eld in the depletion region, the electron-hole pairs give rise to a photocurrent, Ip One gure of merit is the responsivity, dened as the ratio of the photocurrent to the optical power, Pin: Ip Q q Q q = (units: A/W) R= = Pin h where Q = quantum eciency and q = charge generated per photon Q = electron-hole pair generation rate photon incidence rate

c C. D. Cantrell (11/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

DETECTOR MATERIALS Bandgaps and emission wavelengths (at 300 K) of semiconductors used as detectors for optical communications Material Bandgap, eV Wavelength Wavelength of Responsivity range (nm) peak response (nm) (max) (A/W) Si 1.17 3001100 800 0.5 Ge 0.775 5001800 1550 0.7 InGaAs 0.751.24 10001700 1700 1.1

c C. D. Cantrell (07/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

DETECTORS FOR OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS (2) p-n photodiodes Electron-hole pairs are created in the depletion region of a p-n junction in proportion to the optical power Electrons and holes are swept out by the electric eld, leading to a current p-i-n photodiodes Electric eld is concentrated in a thin intrinsic (i) layer Avalanche photodiodes Like p-i-n photodiodes, but have an additional layer in which an average of M secondary electron-hole pairs are generated through impact ionization for each primary pair Leads to a responsivity q R=M
c C. D. Cantrell (07/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

p-n PHOTODIODES Operated in reverse-biased regime for detection, instead of forward-biased regime for emission Wide depletion region Advantage: High quantum eciency Problem: Diusion of carriers created in the boundary p and n regions limits the detector bandwidth Problem: Transit time across the depletion region also limits the detector bandwidth RC time constant: RC = (RL + Rs)Cp RL = load resistance, Rs = internal series resistance, Cp = parasitic capacitance

c C. D. Cantrell (07/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

PHOTOCONDUCTIVE vs. PHOTOVOLTAIC OPERATION Photoconductive regime: Reverse-biased Photovoltaic regime: Unbiased

Joseph C. Palais, Fiber Optic Communications, 4th Edition

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

p-i-n PHOTODIODES Basic idea: Eliminate diusion of carriers created outside the depletion region by: Sandwiching a thin layer of a dierent semiconductor material (of intrinsic conductivity) between the outer p and n layers Choosing the outer p and n layers to be transparent to light in the working wavelength range Typical sensitivities for a BER of 1010 are 26 dBm at a bit rate B = 2.5 Gb/s, or 18 dBm at a bit rate B = 10 Gb/s

c C. D. Cantrell (07/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

InGaAs p-i-n DC RESPONSIVITY vs. WAVELENGTH

1.2 1.1 1 0.9 Responsivity ( A/ W) 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 Wavelength (nm)

Agilent 5988-5927EN.pdf

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

p-i-n SENSITIVITY vs. BIT RATE

Bit rate (Mb/s) 100 -15 125 155 310 622 1065 1250 1500 1750 2125 2488 2700

-17

Optical Sensitivity (dBm)

-19

-21

-23

-25

-27

Agilent 5988-5927EN.pdf

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

LOAD-LINE ANALYSIS OF A p-i-n CIRCUIT Photoconductive regime: Voltage across load resistor is proportional to optical power For optical powers above a certain critical value (40 W in this example), the voltage across the load grows very slowly as a function of optical power

Joseph C. Palais, Fiber Optic Communications, 4th Edition

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

AVALANCHE PHOTODIODES Internal gain Electron-hole pairs created by absorption of photons are accelerated to energies at which more pairs are created, then the new pairs are accelerated and create more pairs, in an avanlanche Overall gain is M pairs generated for each pair created optically 1 M 1 (vd/VBR)n where vd = reverse bias voltage, VBR = breakdown voltage, and n > 1 Avalanche multiplication creates excess noise Scales nonlinearly with M , while the signal scales linearly Therefore theres an optimal value, Mopt Typically 3 Mopt 9 Much better signal-to-noise ratio than with external amplication Typical sensitivities for a BER of 1010 are 32 dBm at a bit rate B = 2.5 Gb/s, or 22 dBm at a bit rate B = 10 Gb/s

c C. D. Cantrell (07/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

OPTICAL RECEIVERS (1)

Block diagram of a digital optical receiver Vertical dashed lines separate various functional units of the receiver

Govind P. Agrawal, Fiber-Optic Communication Systems, 2nd Edition, Fig. 4.11

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

OPTICAL RECEIVERS (2) Front end High-impedance preamplier Bandwidth is

1 f = 2RLCT where CT = total capacitance and load impedance RL Rs Conicting design goals: RL must be high for high sensitivity, but must be low for high bandwidth Transimpedance preamplier High sensitivity and high bandwidth

c C. D. Cantrell (07/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

OPTICAL RECEIVERS (3)

Equivalent circuits for optical receiver front ends (a) High-impedance (b) Transimpedance

Govind P. Agrawal, Fiber-Optic Communication Systems, 2nd Edition, Fig. 4.12

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

OPTICAL RECEIVERS (4) Linear channel Transfer function Hout() = HT ()Hp() HT = transfer function of linear channel Hp = transfer function of photodetector Intersymbol interference (ISI) occurs if the time-domain output signal for a one bit extends beyond the bit-slot boundaries To minimize ISI, try to ensure that Hout is the transfer function of a raised-cosine lter, Hout() = + cos(/2B)], if < 2B; 0, if 2B
1 2 [1

c C. D. Cantrell (07/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

OPTICAL RECEIVERS (5) Data recovery Clock recovery Purpose: Isolate a spectral component at the line rate of the signal (f = B) in order to synchronize the sampling times with the bit slots of the received bit stream For RZ, can pass the signal through a narrow bandpass lter For NRZ, have to square and rectify the signal spectral component at f = B/2 The spectral component recovered from the signal is used in a phaselocked loop to control the frequency of a local oscillator in such a way that there is negligible drift when some data transitions are absent Frequency recovery is not enough; one must also have an edge detector Decision circuit Compares the sampled linear-channel output to a threshold level
c C. D. Cantrell (10/2002)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

PHASE-LOCKED CLOCK RECOVERY CIRCUIT

Block diagram for phase-locked clock recovery LPF = low-pass lter VCO = voltage-controlled oscillator = multiplier Produces an error voltage at the dierence frequency between the edge detector and the VCO, which is fed back to control the VCO
Behzad Razavi, Monolithic Phase-Locked Loops and Clock Recovery Circuits, Theory and Design (IEEE Press, 1996)

The University of Texas at Dallas

Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science

OPTICAL RECEIVERS (6) Features and impairments of real receivers Noise vertical eye closure and increased bit error rate Electronic noise sources Thermal noise (mostly from the preamplier) Shot noise Fluctuations in APD gain also contribute noise Noise is discussed in greater detail in another section of the course Dark current Timing jitter horizontal eye closure and increased bit error rate Caused by imperfect clock recovery

c C. D. Cantrell (10/2002)

Product Bulletin

ERM 577 2.5 Gb/s High Gain Avalanche Photodiode Optical Receiver Modules
Specifications
Conditions (unless noted): Temperature = 25C, = 1550 nm, RL = 50, Vss = -5.2V All specifications without connector. Parameter Sensitivity Measurement Conditions 2.5 Gb/s 1E-10 BER RAPD = 8.5 A/W Single-ended f = 1.2 GHz RAPD = 8.5 A/W RAPD = 2.5 to 10 A/W RAPD = 2.5 A/W 30 Min Typ -34 Max -32 Units dBm

EPITAXX ERM 577 series are high gain, high bandwidth, differential output, Avalanche Photodiode (APD) receivers with GaAs transimpedance amplifiers. The high gain of the receivers provides system designers with a large output at low optical power levels. Also, the differential output can be used for added gain or for signal monitoring.

Small Signal Gain Bandwidth Overload Optical Back Reflection Output Impedance Maximum Output Voltage

50

kV/W

Key Features
1.5 -7.0 1.8 -3.0 -40 50 550 GHz dBm dB mV (p-p)

-30

Single-ended Single-ended Voltage (p-p)

Electro-optical InGaAs photodiode with Transimpedance Amplifiers High gain: 50,000 V/W typical High dynamic range: 31 dB typical Low dark current: 10 nA typical Packaging 14-pin butterfly with single mode 900 m loose jacketed fiber pigtail or AMG package with single mode 900 m loose jacketed fiber pigtail Both packages available with LC, SC or FC connectors

Applications High sensitivity digital receivers Long haul SONET/SDH receivers

ERM 577 2.5 Gb/s High Gain Avalanche Photodiode Optical Receiver Module DC Electrical Characteristics
Parameter Measurement Conditions Min 40 8.5 Typ Max 50 70

| 2

Mechanical Dimensions - ERM 577

Units V
1.91

All dimensions in mm (nominal)

22.53

APD Breakdown Id = 10 A Voltage, Vb APD Responsivity 1 W Optical Power, RAPD VAPD = Vb -1.5 Dark Current VAPD = Vb -1.5 Thermistor Supply Voltage (-) Supply Current

A/W
1 7 Pin Configuration 1 - Gnd 2 - VPD (Bias: +) TOP VIEW 3 - Gnd 19.0 4 - V supply (-5.2 V) 5 - Gnd 6 - Thermistor 14 8 7 - Gnd 8 - Gnd 10.0 min 9 - Gnd 10 - Output (inverted) 2.54 11 - Output (non-inverted) Gold Plated Kovar 12 - Gnd 13 - NC 14 - NC 7.60

10 3

40

nA k V mA

-4.95 -5.2 -5.45 130

Note: APD breakdown voltage is equal to Vb

1.25 meters 25.4

Maximum Ratings
Parameter Operating Temperature Storage Temperature Supply Voltage (-) APD Supply Voltage Optical Input Power Min 0 -40 -6 Typ Max 70 85 Vb 1.0 Units C C VDC V mW

3.71

0.9 O.D. Fiber Detail A 0.39 0.05 0.25 0.04 Pins 8 through 14 shown. Pins 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 12 grounded through device package as shown.

Ordering Information
Product Model ERM 577 ERM 577AMG Description 2.5 Gb/s APD, 14-pin Butterfly 900 m buffer without connector 2.5 Gb/s APD, AMG Package 900 m buffer without connector 900 900 900 900 900 m buffer with LC/SPC connector m buffer with SC/SPC connector m buffer with SC/APC connector m buffer with FC/SPC connector m buffer with FC/APC connector

Mechanical Dimensions - ERM 577AMG All dimensions in mm (nominal)

7.98 3.71 1.04

5.13 Gold Plated Kovar

8 See Detail A 14

1.25 meters

ERM 577xxx FJS LC/SPC ERM 577xxx FJS SC/SPC ERM 577xxx FJS SC/APC ERM 577xxx FJS FC/SPC ERM 577xxx FJS FC/APC

Pins 8 through 14 shown. Pins 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12 and 14 grounded through device package as shown.

22.53 1.91 15.24

22.5 13.1
RIGID

14

4.50

Pin Configuration 25.35 12.70 BOTTOM VIEW 1 - Gnd 19.05 2 - VPD (Bias: +) 3 - Gnd 3.17 4 - V supply (-5.2 V) 7 1 5 - Gnd 6 - Thermistor 7 - Gnd 12.70 2.54 8 - Gnd 9 - Gnd Detail A 10 - Output (inverted) 0.39 0.05 11 - Output (non-inverted) 12 - Gnd 0.25 0.04 13 - NC 14 - Gnd

0.9 O.D. Fiber

M3 x 0.5 2.54 DEEP 4 PLCS

ERM 577 2.5 Gb/s High Gain Avalanche Photodiode Optical Receiver Module Figure 1

| 3

Figure 2

Typical Eye Diagram Optical Power = -32 dBm

100.5mV
500.5mV

Typical Eye Diagram Optical Power = -3 dBm

20mV /div.

100mV /div.

trig'd. T

trig'd. T

-99.5mV 55.61ns

100ps/div

56.61ns

-500mV 55.61ns

100ps/div

56.61ns

Figure 3

ERM 577 Application Circuit

VSS 0.033F//10F

ERM 577 Typical Transfer Function

600 500 400 300 200 100
ERM577 TIA P APD 0.1F 11 0.1F 10 To Post-amp or Clock Data Recovery 4

Output Voltage (mV)

0 0 20 40 60 80 100

0.033F//10F

Optical Power (W)

VAPD

ERM 577 2.5 Gb/s High Gain Avalanche Photodiode Optical Receiver Module Precautions for Use ESD protection is imperative. Use of grounding straps, anti-static mats, and other standard ESD protective equipment is recommended when handling or testing an InGaAs PIN or any other junction photodiode. Soldering temperature of the leads should not exceed 260 oC for more than 10 seconds.

| 4

Fiber feed through tube temperature should not exceed 120 oC. Fiber pigtails should be handled with less than 10 N pull and with a bending radius greater than 1.

Quality Vision EPITAXX has a leadership position in the optoelectronic industry with a vision for excellence in quality. The division is committed to providing customers with the highest levels of quality and reliability in design and manufacturing. The top priorities remain continuous process improvement and total customer satisfaction. EPITAXX obtained ISO 9001 certification in 1996 for both design and manufacturing operations. In addition, EPITAXX maintains a strict quality control program to ensure that all products meet or surpass customer requirements.

JDS Uniphase Corporation

EPITAXX Division

7 Graphics Drive West Trenton, NJ 08628

Tel 609 538-1800 Fax 609 538-1684 epitaxx@us.jdsuniphase.com www.jdsuniphase.com

All information contained herein is proprietary and confidential, believed to be accurate and is subject to change without notice. No responsibility is assumed for its use. JDS Uniphase Corporation, its subsidiaries and affiliates, or manufacturer, reserve the right to make changes, without notice, to product design, product components, and product manufacturing methods. Some specific combinations of options may not be available. Please contact JDS Uniphase, EPITAXX Division, for more information. JDS Uniphase Corporation. All rights reserved. 08/13/00 Printed in USA