Experience with parallel optical link for the CDF silicon detector

The Dense Optical Interface Module is a byte-wide optical link developed for the Run II upgrade of the CDF silicon tracking system (CDF Collaboration, The CDF-II Detector Technical Design Report, FERMILAB-Pub 96/390-E; S. Nahn, status of CDF silicon, Vertex 2002, Nucl. Instr. and Meth.). The module consists of a transmitter with a laser-diode array for conversion of digitized detector signals into light outputs, a 22 m optical fiber ribbon cable for light transmission, and a receiver converting the light pulses back to electrical signals. We report on the design feature, characteristics, and radiation tolerance.