Integrated Optical Receiver and Multilevel Transmission over PMMA SI-POF

Abstract

Optical absorption in a semiconductor material is the key-effect to convert optical power into an electrical current. This conversion is done by an integrated photodiode in the integrated optical receivers introduced in this book. Discrete photodiodes can be connected to transimpedance amplifier ICs in multi-chip packages by wire bonding or in hybrid integrated circuits. The advantage of discrete solution is that the performance for each device can be optimized separately by using special photodiode and IC technologies. The drawback is high costs due to a complex production and assembly process. Other disadvantages of using discrete photodiodes are potential noise sources and bandwidth reduction due to bonding pads and package pins.