Performance of ECL-compatible 75 Omega line driver/receiver realised in a 1.2 mu m CMOS technology

An ECL-CMOS interface circuit fabricated in a 1.2 mu m CMOS technology is presented. The circuit converts digital signals from ECL to CMOS and vice versa, generating the ECL levels without using bipolar transistors to avoid the need for expensive BICMOS technology. The high speed performance is obtained by using NMOS devices in the signal path, replica biasing for an accurate control of the signal levels and the use of speed up capacitors for charge injection to ensure extremely steep edges and subnanosecond settling times.