Spatially modulated light detector in CMOS with sense-amplifier receiver operating at 180 Mb/s for optical data link applications and parallel optical interconnects between chips

We present a first realization of a detector receiver combination based on the spatially modulated light detector (SML-detector). The SML-detector gives an output signal that has a shorter falling edge than that of a conventional CMOS) detector. It is combined with a sense-amplifier in a standard 0.8-mu m CMOS technology, allowing one to receive over 155-Mb/s of light pulses at 5.6-mu W average light input power for lambda = 860 nm, The detector 3-dB bit-rate is 300 Mb/s for this wavelength and for the used spatial topology. For lambda = 635 nm the detector 3-dB bit-rate is 510 Mb/s. Apart from monolithic integration of detector and receiver, further signal processing circuitry (including digital signal processing functions) can be integrated on the same chip. The compact system allows conceiving low-cost densely packed optoelectronic receivers for parallel optical interconnects and for wavelength division multiplexing applications in the visible and the near-infrared wavelength range.