Design of an opto-electronic modulator driver amplifier for 40-Gb/s data rate systems

Author

Long, Adrian ; Buck, Jeff ; Powell, Royston

Author_Institution

Bookham Technol., Towcester, UK

Volume

20

Issue

12

fYear

2002

fDate

12/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

2015

Lastpage

2021

Abstract

This paper describes the design and performance of a broad-band driver amplifier for 40-Gb/s noreturn-to-zero system applications. The function of the amplifier is to raise the output from a multiplexer (nominally 0.4 V peak to peak) to a level of ∼5 Vp-p, which is suitable to drive a GaAs-based Mach-Zehnder optoelectronic modulator. The amplifier module contains two GaAs pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor traveling-wave MMICs fabricated on a 0.2-μm gate process. The design issues relating to the specific requirements of a modulator driver amplifier and the techniques to resolve them are described.

Keywords

HEMT integrated circuits; III-V semiconductors; MMIC amplifiers; driver circuits; electro-optical modulation; field effect MMIC; gallium arsenide; integrated optoelectronics; optical communication equipment; wideband amplifiers; 0.2 micron; 0.2-μm gate process; 0.4 V; 40 Gbit/s; 40-Gb/s data rate systems; GaAs; GaAs pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor traveling-wave MMIC; GaAs-based Mach-Zehnder optoelectronic modulator; amplifier module; broad-band driver amplifier; multiplexer; noreturn-to-zero system applications; opto-electronic modulator driver amplifier design; Bandwidth; Bit rate; Costs; Degradation; Driver circuits; Gallium arsenide; MMICs; Optical amplifiers; Optical modulation; Optical transmitters;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Lightwave Technology, Journal of

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

0733-8724

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/JLT.2002.806753

Filename

1178133