10 March 2011

Analog Devices unveils first 11Gbps and 6Gbps integrated optical receivers

At this week’s Optical Fiber Communications Conference & Exposition (OFC 2011) in Los Angeles (8–11 March), Analog Devices Inc (ADI) of Norwood, MA, USA, which provides semiconductors for signal processing applications, has introduced what it claims is the first commercially available 11Gbps and 6Gbps integrated optical receivers.

Manufactured on ADI’s proprietary XFCB high-speed complementary bipolar process on bonded silicon-on-insulator (SOI), the 6Gbps ADN3000-06-50 and 11Gbps ADN3000-11-35 integrated optical receivers (which have detector sizes of 50 microns and 35 microns, respectively) integrate a germanium photodiode with a transimpedance amplifier to reduce system component count to one device and cut power consumption by at least half compared with current solutions, it is claimed. They consume only 65mW while running on a single 3.3V power supply offering typical sensitivity of –19dBm OMA (optical modulation amplitude) at 6Gbps and –17dBm OMA at 11Gbps.

The monolithic approach eliminates photodiode-to-TIA (transimpedance amplifier) wire bonds, allowing for a fully characterized solution that reduces design complexity and improves design reliability in fiber-optic networks (since a fully characterized interface between the photo-detector and the TIA guarantees stability without worrying about bond wires). No separate tests are required for the TIA and photodiode, while a single, fully tested die solution also reduces cost.

The new optical receivers are fully compatible with normal incidence, standard telecom and datacom ROSAs (receive optical subassemblies) used currently. No additional components are needed inside the ROSA. The devices are also wavelength agnostic, working across all key optical wavelengths including 850nm, 1310nm and 1550nm. ADI says that the technology is extensible to multi-channel devices and will allow high-performance optical communications links to migrate to higher-volume applications, such as active optical cable (AOC) and high-performance computing.

Tags: Analog Devices Integrated optical receivers

Visit: www.analog.com/ADN3000

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