Ultra-Sensitive Reset-Less Integrator-Based PIN-Diode Receiver with Input Current Control

Abstract

This work presents a novel ultra-sensitive integrator-based optical frontend that eliminates the need for a reset network to stabilize the operating point. The proposed method introduces a current source at the input node that compensates the average photocurrent. Eliminating the reset phase for the integrator results in better data rate scalability and PVT robustness without the need for correlated double sampling. The full-custom designed PIN-diode receiver was fabricated in 0.35 μm CMOS and characterized. Using a Manchester encoded PRBS15 bit stream, the best sample achieved a sensitivity of -52.93 dBm at a wavelength of 642 nm, an effective data rate of 50 Mbps and a bit error ratio of 2 10-3. This results in a distance of 20.75 dB to the quantum limit.