Work

APD direct detection receiver OEIC operating 14.1 dB above the shot noise quantum limit

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper presents a highly-sensitive direct detection receiver optoelectronic integrated circuit (OEIC) with a dot-cathode avalanche photodiode (APD) in 180 nm high-voltage CMOS. Experimental sensitivity results of the APD receiver are compared to a reference PIN photodiode receiver. Both photodiodes are integrated on the same wafer, with identical integrate-and-dump source-follower front-end. At a wavelength of 642 nm, bit rate of 100 Mb∕s with 80 % return-to-zero (RZ) on-off keying (OOK) modulation, and reference BER = 0.002, the APD receiver achieves a sensitivity of −56.6 dBm. The sensitivity equals a gap of 14.1 dB to the shot noise quantum limit, that is an average of 71 photons per bit. The minimum normalized sensitivity ( η P ―) improvement over the PIN receiver is 4 dB.

Source: Optics Express

DOI: 10.1364/oe.577195

Authors: Simon Michael Laube, Christoph Gasser, Kerstin Schneider-Hornstein, Horst Zimmermann

Language: English

Topic: Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,270

Funder: Austrian Science Fund

Award: Ultra-sensitive PIN and avalanche photodiode receivers