US010243523B2

(12) United States Patent (10 ) Patent No.: US 10 ,243,523 B2

Heydari et al. (45) Date of Patent: Mar. 26 , 2019
(54 ) ULTRA -BROADBAND TRANSIMPEDANCE HO3F 3 /343 ( 2006 .01)
AMPLIFIERS ( TIA ) FOR OPTICAL FIBER HOZF 3 /50 (2006 .01 )
COMMUNICATIONS (52) CPC
U .S . CI .
. .. ........ HO3F 3 /085 ( 2013 .01) ; HO3F 1 /347
(71) Applicant: THE REGENTS OF THE ( 2013 .01); H03F 1 /42 ( 2013.01); H03F 1 /483
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA , ( 2013 .01 ); H03F 3 /08 ( 2013 .01); HO3F
Oakland , CA (US ) 3 /3432 (2013 .01 ); HO3F 3 /50 ( 2013 .01);
HO3F 2200 /135 (2013 .01 ); HO3F 2200 /405
(72 ) Inventors : Payam Heydari, Irvine, CA (US); (2013 .01); HO3F 2203 / 5036 (2013 .01 )
Seyed Mohammad Hossein (58 ) Field of Classification Search
Mohammadnezhad , Irvine , CA (US ); USPC ....... ......................... 330 /310 , 308, 133, 150
Alireza Karimi Bidhendi, Irvine, CA See application file for complete search history.
(US ); Michael M . Green , Irvine , CA
(US ); David Howard , Newport Beach ,
CA (US); Edward Preisler, Newport
(56) References Cited
Beach , CA (US) U .S . PATENT DOCUMENTS
(73 ) Assignee : THE REGENTS OF THE 6 ,806 , 778 B1 * 10 /2004 Kobayashi ............ HO3F 3 /3432
330 /311
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA , 7 ,821,335 B2 * 10 / 2010 Shiramizu .............. HO3F 1/342
Oakland , CA (US) 330 /278
( * ) Notice : Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this OTHER PUBLICATIONS
patent is extended or adjusted under 35
U . S .C . 154 (b ) by 0 days . Bowmaster, T., “ Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) Transport
Systems: Common Generic Criteria” , 2005 , Issue 4 , pp . 1-694 .
(21 ) Appl. No.: 15 /725 ,212 (Continued )
( 22 ) Filed : Oct. 4 , 2017 Primary Examiner — Hieu P Nguyen
(65) Prior Publication Data (74 ) Attorney , Agent, or Firm — One LLP
US 2018 /0102749 Al Apr. 12 , 2018 (57) ABSTRACT
Related U .S . Application Data Design of ultra broadband transimpedance amplifiers ( TIA )
for optical fiber communications is disclosed . In one
(60 ) Provisional application No. 62 /404, 145, filed on Oct. embodiment, a TIA comprises a gm -boosted dual-feedback
4 , 2016 . common -base stage , a level shifter and an RC - degenerated
common -emitter stage , and a first emitter- follower stage ,
(51) Int . CI. wherein the first emitter follower stage is inductively degen
HO3F 3 /08 (2006 .01) erated. An output of the TIA is buffered using a second
HO3F 1 /48 ( 2006 .01 ) emitter - follower stage .
H03F 134 ( 2006 .01)
HO3F 1/42 ( 2006 .01 ) 14 Claims, 6 Drawing Sheets
110
120 130 100

140
H o hoho
Ipo B2B
LBL !
ayg. -Boosted Dual-Feedback O Level Shifter and c ) inductively Degenerated
Common Sase Emitter Degensation Emitter -FollowerStage
 US 10 ,Page
243,2523 B2
( 56 ) References Cited
OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Cvijetic, M ., “ Optical Transmission Systems Engineering” , 2004 ,
Artech House , pp . 166 - 168 .
Karimi- BIDHEND1, A ., et al., “ A Silicon - Based Low -Power Broad
band Transimpedance Amplifier" , IEEE Transactions on Circuits
and Systems— I: Regular Papers, 2018 , vol. 65, No. 2 , pp . 498 -509.
Kim , J ., et al ., “ A 40 -Gb /s Optical Transceiver Front- End in 45 nm
SOI CMOS” , IEEE Journal of Solid - State Circuits , 2012 , vol. 47 ,
No. 3 , pp . 615 -626 .
Kromer, C ., et al., “ A Low -Power 20 -GHz 52 -dB22 Transimpedance
Amplifier in 80 - nm CMOS” , IEEE Journal of Solid - State Circuits,
2004, vol. 39 , No. 6 , pp . 885 - 894.
Kromer, C ., et al., “ A 40 Gb/ s Optical Receiver in 80 - nm CMPS for
Shirt- Distance High -Density Interconnects ” , IEEE Asia Solid -State
Circuits Conference , 2006 , pp . 395 - 398 .
Li, C ., et al., " A Low -Power 26 -GHz Transformer- Based Regulated
Cascode SiGe BiCMOS Transimpedance Amplifier" , IEEE Journal
of Solid - State Circuits , 2013 , vol. 48, No . 5 , pp . 1264 - 1275 .
Liao , C . F ., et al., “ 40 Gb /s Transimpedance -AGC Amplifier and
CDR Circuit for Broadband Data Receivers in 90 nm CMOS” , IEEE
Journal of Solid -State Circuits, 2008, vol. 43 , No. 3 , pp. 642 -655 .
Pi, D ., et al., " A Synthesis-Based Bandwidth Enhancement Tech
nique for CMOS Amplifiers: Theory and Design " , IEEE Journal of
Solid -State Circuits , 2011 , vol. 46 , No . 2 , pp . 392 -402.
Preisler, E ., et al., " A Millimeter-Wave Capable SiGe BiCMOS
Process with 270GHz FMAXHBTs Designed for High vol. Manu
facturing ” , IEEE Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meet
ing, 2011 , pp . 1 -4 .
Säckinger, E ., “ Broadband Circuits for Optical Fiber Communica
tion ” , 2005 , pp . 105- 155 .
Takemoto , T ., et al., “ A 25 Gb /s x 4 - channel 74 mW / ch Transimped
ance Amplifier in 65 nm CMOS” , IEEE CICC , 2010 , pp . 1 - 4 .
Weiner, J. S ., et al., “ SiGe Differential Transimpedance Amplifier
With 50 -GHz Bandwidth ” , IEEE Journal of Solid - State Circuits,
2003, vol. 38 , No. 9 , pp . 1512 - 1517.
Weiner, J. S ., et al., “ An InGaAs / InP HBT Differential Transimped
ance Amplifier With 47 -GHz Bandwidth ” , IEEE Journal of Solid
State Circuits, 2004 , vol. 39 , No. 10 , pp. 1720 - 1723 .
Ye, R .F ., et al., “ Two Cmos Dual- Feedback Common -Gate Low
Noise Amplifiers With Wideband Input and Noise Matching" , IEEE
Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 2013, vol.61,
No . 10 , pp . 3690 - 3699
* cited by examiner
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 US 10 ,243,523 B2
ULTRA - BROADBAND TRANSIMPEDANCE High - speed 40 Gbps optical transceivers have been
AMPLIFIERS ( TIA ) FOR OPTICAL FIBER reported in J. Kim et al., “ A 40 -Gb/s Optical Transceiver
COMMUNICATIONS Front-End in 45 nm SOI CMOS,” and C . Kromer et al., “ A
40 Gb/s optical receiver in 80 -nm CMOS for short-distance
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED 5 high -density interconnects ,” [ 1, 2 ].
APPLICATIONS Additionally , 40 Gbps single-channel and 4x25 Gbps
multi- channel TIAs have been reported in C . Li et al., “ A
The present application claims priority to U .S . Provisional Low - Power 26 -GHz Transformer- Based Regulated Cascode
Application No . 62/ 404 , 145 , titled “Design of Ultra -Broad - SiGe BiCMOS Transimpedance Amplifier.” and T . Take
band Transimpedance Amplifiers ( TIA ) for Optical Fiber " moto et al., “ A 25 Gb/sx4 -channel 74 mW / ch Transimped
Communications," filed Oct. 4 , 2016 , the contents of which ance Amplifier in 65 nm CMOS,” [3 , 4 ].
are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety . However, multi- channel wireline systems inherently suf
FIELD fer from crosstalk between adjacent channels . Such a signal
integrity issue due to crosstalk is aggravated at higher
data - rates , as a higher TX power is required to overcome
The embodiments described herein relate generally to increasingly higher channel impairments and to relax RX
transimpedance amplifiers ( TIAs), and more specifically to sensitivity requirements .
ultra -broadband TIAs for optical fiber communications .
It is within the aforementioned context that a need for
BACKGROUND 20 ultra -broadband TIA for optical fiber communications has
arisen . Through applied effort, ingenuity , and innovation ,
The exponential increase in the amount of data processing many of these identified problems have been solved by
that is required by a client device , together with the con developing solutions that are included in embodiments of
tinuously expanding availability of internet access to a the present disclosure, many examples of which are
growing number of client devices populated across multiple 25 described in detail herein .
continents , introduces a technically complex and demanding
challenge to an infrastructure handling a tremendous amount SUMMARY
of data related to such data processing . Specifically , storage
centers must be able to handle terabytes of data and a The specification relates to ultra -broadband transimped
constituent interconnect network must transfer the terabytes 30 ance amplifiers ( TIA ) for optical fiber communications.
of data among the storage centers or from individual storage Embodiments herein advantageously enable an exemplary
centers to client devices at rates on order of terabits per broadband single- channel TIA in silicon . The embodiments
second . disclosed herein advantageously provide a broadband
Fiber-optic communication is a method of transmitting single - channel TIA capable of about 41 dB of transim
information from one place to another by sending pulses of 35 pedance gain across a wide bandwidth greater than 50 GHz.
light through an optical fiber. The light forms an electro - In addition , the embodiments advantageously achieve an
magnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry informa open eye diagram for about 50 Gbps data rates and beyond .
tion . Fiber is preferred over electrical cabling when high In one embodiment, a TIA comprises a gm -boosted dual
bandwidth , long distance , or immunity to electromagnetic feedback common -base stage , a level shifter and an RC
interference are required . 40 degenerated common - emitter stage , and a first emitter- fol
The development of single -channel and multi- channel lower stage , wherein the first emitter follower stage is
optical fiber transceivers has facilitated ultrahigh data -rate inductively degenerated . An output of the TIA is preferably
communications. An optical fiber shows low insertion loss buffered using a second emitter-follower stage .
and , contrary to conventional electrical transmission lines , Other systems, methods, features and advantages of the
does not suffer from skin effect at high frequencies. 45 example embodiments will be or will become apparent to
Skin effect is the tendency of an alternating electric one with skill in the art upon examination of the following
current (AC ) to become distributed within a conductor such figures and detailed description .
that the current density is largest near the surface of the
conductor, and decreases with greater depths in the conduc BRIEF DESCRIPTION
tor . The electric current flows mainly at the " skin " of the 50
conductor, between the outer surface and a level called the The details of the example embodiments, including fab
skin depth . The skin effect causes the effective resistance of rication , structure and operation , may be gleaned in part by
the conductor to increase at higher frequencies where the study of the accompanying figures , in which like reference
skin depth is smaller, thus reducing the effective cross - numerals refer to like parts . The components in the figures
section of the conductor. The skin effect is due to opposing 55 are not necessarily to scale , emphasis instead being placed
eddy currents induced by the changingmagnetic field result- upon illustrating the principles of the example embodiments .
ing from the alternating current. Moreover, all illustrations are intended to convey concepts ,
A transimpedance amplifier ( TIA ) is a current- to - voltage where relative sizes , shapes and other detailed attributes may
converter, most often implemented using an operational be illustrated schematically rather than literally or precisely .
amplifier. Appearing as the first stage of an optical receiver 60 In the drawings , the same reference numbers indicate iden
chain , a TIA is driven by a photodiode which converts tical or functionally similar elements.
optical power to electrical current. The TIA amplifies the FIG . 1 illustrates an exemplary transimpedance amplifier
electrical current to a proper voltage level required for a ( TIA ) according to embodiments of the present disclosure .
subsequent decision circuit to recover data and clock with FIG . 2 illustrates a die microphotograph of an exemplary
minimum bit- error- rate (BER ). The design of a TIA entails 65 transimpedance amplifier ( TIA ) implemented in a 130 nm
tight trade -offs between receiver bandwidth , gain , jitter , SiGe BiCMOS process according to embodiments of the
noise , power dissipation , and chip area . present disclosure .
 US 10 ,243,523 B2
FIG . 3 illustrates simulated and measured transimpedance Embodiments of the present disclosure enable an exem
gain vs . frequency of an exemplary transimpedance ampli plary single channel 50 Gbps transimpedance amplifier
fier ( TIA ) according to embodiments of the present disclo ( TIA ) in silicon . In certain embodiments, an exemplary TIA
sure . may comprise a gm -boosted dual feedback common base , an
FIG . 4 illustrates a histogram of integrated output noise of 5 RC -degenerated common emitter, and an inductively degen
an exemplary transimpedance amplifier ( TIA ) according to erated emitter follower. Accounting for a 100 fF photo
embodiments of the present disclosure. diode ' s input capacitance , the exemplary TIA achieves a
FIG . 5 illustrates a measured eye diagram when a 350 uA measured RMS transimpedance gain of about 41 dB2 and a
215 - 1 random bit sequence is applied to the input of an 10 measured input referred current noise spectral density
exemplary transimpedance amplifier ( TIA ) according to than 50 GHz. The/ Hz
of about 35 . 4 PA over a wide 3 dB bandwidth greater
exemplary TIA achieves an open eye at
embodiments of the present disclosure . about 50 Gbps with an RMS jitter of about 2 . 3 ps ( including
FIG . 6 illustrates a table of prior transimpedance amplifierthe jitter contribution ofthe test fixture ). The exemplary TIA
designs compared to an exemplary transimpedance amplifier chip advantageously occupies about 1x0 .575 mm² ( includ
( TIA ) according to embodiments of the present disclosure . 15 ing pads ) of die area and dissipates about 24 mW from a 2
It should be noted that elements of similar structures or V supply voltage (i.e., less than 0 . 5 mW per 1 Gbps ).
functions are generally represented by like reference numer A . Link Budget Calculations
als for illustrative purpose throughout the figures . It should A link budget is an accounting of all of the gains and
also be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate losses from a transmitter, through a medium (free space ,
the description of the preferred embodiments. 20 cable , waveguide, fiber , etc .) to a receiver in a telecommu
nication system . The link budget accounts for attenuation of
DETAILED DESCRIPTION a transmitted signal due to propagation , as well as antenna
gains , feedline and miscellaneous losses . Randomly varying
Various embodiments of the present disclosure now will channel gains such as fading are taken into account by
be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the 25 adding an amount of margin depending on the anticipated
accompanying drawings , in which some, but not all embodi - severity of its effects . The amount ofmargin required can be
ments of the disclosure are shown . Indeed , the disclosure reduced by the use of mitigating techniques such as antenna
may be embodied in many different forms and should not be diversity or frequency hopping. Link budget requirements
construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; for maximum tolerable timing jitter,minimum output swing ,
rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclo - 30 dynamic range , and minimum transimpedance gain of an
sure will satisfy applicable legal requirements . The term exemplary TIA operating with a BER of 10 - 12 , 50 GHz
" or " is used herein in both the alternative and conjunctive bandwidth and a data rate of 50 Gbps are briefly described
sense , unless otherwise indicated . The terms “ illustrative " herein .
and " exemplary ” are used to be examples with no indication B . Maximum Tolerable Timing Jitter and Minimum
of quality level . Like numbers refer to like elements 35 Required Output Swing
throughout. The sensitivity of an optical receiver (i.e., minimum
Each of the features and teachings disclosed below can be detectable input power ) is degraded due to effects such as
utilized separately or in conjunction with other features and dispersion in the optical fiber, timing jitter from the TIA , and
teachings to produce ultra -broadband transimpedance threshold offset in the decision circuit following the TIA .
amplifiers ( TIA ) for optical fiber communications. Repre - 40 Extra power needs to be transmitted to account for these
sentative examples of the present disclosure, which degrading effects . Power penalty due to timing jitter, PP fitter,
examples utilize many of the features and teachings both is expressed by:
separately and in combination , will now be described in
further detail with reference to the attached drawings. This
detailed description is merely intended to teach a person of 45
skill in the art further details for practicing preferred aspects
of the presentteachings and is not intended to limit the scope
PP jitter = 1-(Bonu (* -4)
of the disclosure . Therefore , combinations of features and
steps disclosed in the following detailed description may not
[1-(Bow)*f* --) -80+(B0w1*( -2)
be necessary to practice the disclosure in the broadest sense , 501
and are instead taught merely to particularly describe rep where os denotes timing jitter or the standard deviation of
resentative examples of the present teachings. the time variation At, B is the bit rate , and Q is the personick
Moreover, the various features of the representative factor which is set to 7 for a BER of 10 - 12 [6 ]. From equation
examples and the dependent claims may be combined in timing ( 1 ) above, for a maximum power penalty of 1 dB [7 ], the
jitter Ox ; needs to be less than 12 % of the bit interval,
ways that are not specifically and explicitly enumerated in 55 which becomes
order to provide additional useful embodiments of the a 50 Gbps data equal rate .
to 2.4 ps RMS (root-mean -square ) for
present teachings . In addition , it is expressly noted that all Power penalty due to threshold offset, PP th .offset, in the
features disclosed in the description and /or the claims are decision circuit is expressed by [ 7 ]:
intended to be disclosed separately and independently from
each other for the purpose of original disclosure , as well as 60
for the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter Vth ,DC (2)
independent of the compositions of the features in the PPth ,offset = 1 + Vomin
pp
embodiments and/ or the claims. It is also expressly noted
that all value ranges or indications of groups of entities
disclose every possible intermediate value or intermediate 65 where Vomi PP is the minimum peak -to -peak output swing
entity for the purpose of original disclosure, as well as for of the TIA , and Vth ,dc is the threshold offset in the decision
the purpose of restricting the claimed subject matter. circuit . From equation (2 ), for a maximum decision thresh
 US 10 ,243,523 B2
old offset of 5 mV and a maximum power penalty of 1 dB a level shifter and an RC -degenerated common -emitter stage
[ 7 ], the peak -to -peak output swing should be greater than 20 120 , and (c ) an inductively degenerated emitter-follower
mV. stage 130 . The output 140 of the core TIA is buffered using
C . Dynamic Range another emitter -follower stage B 10 .
The dynamic range of an optical receiver determines the 5 E . Gm -Boosted Dual-Feedback Stage
range of required input power for operation with a specific The first stage of the TIA 100 is a gm -boosted common
BER . The lower-end of a TIA 's dynamic range is deter base stage 110 (B4) with a shunt-in -shunt-out positive feed
mined by sensitivity and its upper - end is set forth by back realized with a mutually coupled L2- L3 inductor pair ,
photodiode overload current. and a local resistive shunt- in - shunt-out negative feedback
The TIA sensitivity is expressed as a function of the " (R2). To enhance the stage BW , the gm -boosting transistor,
signal-to - noise ratio SNR , and the mean -square input- re - B , drives a series R - L , load , where R , and L , values are
ferred noise -current spectral density In.in over the TIA 's optimized to expand the BW while ensuring a flat group
bandwidth (BW ) [8 ], i.e ., delay response [10 ].
E .1 Input Impedance
15 The input impedance of the gm -boosted dual-feedback
(3) common-base stage 110 in FIG . 1 is calculated to be (R2 is
irem = SNRV DER BW neglected for the sake of brevity ):
Assuming the TIA has an RMS input-referred noise nk )
current spectral density less than 35 PA /VHz over a 50 GHz
BW , then for operation with an SNR of 14 dB or a BER of
10 - 12 for non - return -to -zero (NRZ ) modulation — the mini
Zin (W )
Emeff
1 .= = 8m4(11++8mj$ma(R1Locul+ j41,-0 )Mes) + jC7,16
mum sensible input current icon PP is calculated from equa
sens
tion (3 ) to be 200 °A .
The TIA 's input overload current from photodiode :is 25 in which ,
expressed as [9 ],
17w 2
w ) 1 + al
??
21oT )
(4) 30
where gm , and gm , are the transconductance of transistors B ,
and B2, respectively , w is the transit angular frequency, n is
where Visov PP indicates the maximum allowable peak - to the turn -ratio of the transformer formed by mutually coupled
peak swing of the input, Vo.ov PP is the maximum allowable , inductors L ,-Lz, and k is the coupling factor. The g.,,-boosted
peak - to - peak swing of the output, and Zin and Z? are the dual- feedback stage 110 reduces the input impedance of the
input impedance and transimpedance gain of the TIA , TIA 100 by increasing the transconductance of B . ; thereby,
respectively . From equation (4 ), two observations are made: enhancing the bandwidth by pushing the TIA 's 100 input
( a ) As the input impedance is reduced , the maximum toler pole to higher frequencies. R2 lowers the impedance at the
able input overload current will increase ; and (b ) The input in base of B4, allowing another degree of freedom to adjust the
overload current is limited by maximum allowable input or 4 gain and bandwidth of the first stage 110 .
output voltage swing depending on whether the front-end E .2 Transimpedance Gain
gain compression first occurs in the input of TIA or its The normalized transimpedance gain of the g -boosted
output. For high gain , low input impedance TIAs covering dual- feedback common - base stage 110 is calculated to be
wide bandwidths, the compression occurs first in the output . 111:
Assuming a 40 dB2 TIA with a maximum peak -to - peak
output overload swing of 100 mV, the peak -to -peak overload
current is calculated from equation (4 ) to be 1 mA . ZT (W ) Voit = =
(8)
D . Minimum Transimpedance Gain
The TIA is required to provide a minimum transimped
IPD
1 -C2 CCN + je
w2 CCN w L. w2 Con ( 1 - Con )
w m wolwb m
ance gain to be able to detect the input random bit sequence 30
at the edge of its sensitivity , where the minimum input
current from photodiode is comparable with the input in which ,
referred noise -current of the TIA . The minimum required
transimpedance gain Zy is expressed by 55 ?? (9 )
wo R3 (Cc CCN = Cct
ZT =
Vo ,min (5 ) m = - R}(Cc + Cn)
PP
Isens L2(1 – k2)
60
Therefore, for an isensPP of 200 uA and a vomi PP of 20mV,
sens my where Cyis the capacitor seen from base of B? and Cc is the
the minimum required transimpedance gain is calculated capacitor seen from the collector of B4 (FIG . 1). From
from equation (5 ) to be 40 dB92 . equation (8 ), the positive feedback transformer also exhibits
FIG . 1 illustrates a schematic of an exemplary transim - a series inductive peaking behavior at the output of the
pedance amplifier ( TIA ) according to embodiments of the 65 gm -boosted dual-feedback common -base stage 110 , extend
present disclosure . According to one embodiment, TIA 100 ing the bandwidth beyond a conventional common -base
(a ) a gm -boosted dual-feedback common -base stage 110 , (b ) stage .
 US 10 ,243,523 B2
F . Level Shifter and RC -Degenerated Stage 120 of a Lecroy® 100H sampling oscilloscope . The RMS input
The voltage gain frequency response of the RC -degener referred current-noise spectral density of the TIA is 35 .4
ated common -emitter stage 120 is : PANHz over a 50 GHz BW , after de -embedding the scope 's
RMS noise of 1.45 mV from 1. 76 mV RMS standard
deviation .
& mg R4 (1 + jR . Cow ) (11) FIG . 5 illustrates a measured eye diagram 500 when a 350
Aved (0 ) = (1 + Ema R6 ) + JR Cow uA 215 - 1 random bit sequence is applied to the input of an
exemplary transimpedance amplifier (TIA ) according to
embodiments of the present disclosure . Eye diagram 500
The RC -degenerated common -emmitter stage 120 intro - 10 shows an RMS jitter of 2 .34 ps with a 1. 1 ps RMS jitter
duces a zero at frequency 1 /( 2aR , Co) and a high frequency contribution from the test fixture . The vertical eye opening
pole at ( 1 + 9m Ro)/2AR C . Placing the zero frequency close observed in the eye diagram 500 validates the low input
to the previous stages ' dominant pole results in bandwidth referred noise -current of the present TIA design .
enhancement, but at the same time increases the jitter FIG . 6 illustrates a table 600 of prior transimpedance
peaking in eye diagram . A level shifter (B , R ) is thus added 15 amplifier designs compared to an exemplary transimpedance
before the emitter degeneration stage for optimum biasing amplifier ( TIA ) according to embodiments of the present
and varactor Co is used to tune the zero frequency based on disclosure . The previously reported TIAs were reported as
this existing trade -off between bandwidth enhancement and having ~ 50 GHz bandwidth (where the best performance is
jitter peaking. underlined ) . The present TIA design demonstrates a three
G . Inductively Degenerated Emitter Follower Stage 130 20 fold improvement in FOM (defined as FOM = BWxGain /
Following the RC -degenerated common - emitter stage Poc ), due to its wide bandwidth and very low power
120 is an emitter - follower stage 130 modified with two dissipation .
inductors L4 and L5. The voltage gain frequency response of ( TIA ) with alowwideband
A novel -power 50 Gbps transimpedance amplifier
flat transimpedance gain frequency
the emitter- follower stage 130 is expressed as : 25 response has been disclosed . The TIA introduces a novel
8m -boosted dual-feedback stage to relax the trade-off
10,877,8 + j(8mg/0, 877,8L5 ) (12 ) between input noise , bandwidth , and transimpedance gain .
Avind.Ef (W ) X 17,38 - L4 L5w2 + j(8mg70,8?n,8 L5) Additionally, a varactor- based emitter degeneration stage
&m7
and a new inductively degenerated emitter - follower stage
30 were designed for further bandwidth enhancement with
minimal jitter contribution to eye diagram . Link budget
The inductor L4 introduces a series peaking behavior to calculations were presented for further verification of mea
the output 140 of the TIA 100 , resulting in further BW surement and post-layout simulation results .
enhancement. The inductor L5 degenerates this emitter- In the foregoing specification , all features, elements ,
follower stage 130 by introducing a zero to the frequency 35 components , functions, and steps described with respect to
response and improves linearity of the TIA 100 . This zero any embodiment provided herein are intended to be freely
frequency is tuned by optimizing the biasing and the induc combinable and substitutable with those from any other
tor value based on the trade -off between bandwidth enhance - embodiment. If a certain feature , element, component, func
ment and jitter peaking . tion , or step is described with respect to only one embodi
Based on post- layout and EM simulations, the exemplary 40 ment, then it should be understood that that feature , element,
TIA 100 shows a transimpedance gain of42 dBQ ( compared component, function , or step can be used with every other
to link budget calculation of 40 dB2) over a bandwidth embodiment described herein unless explicitly stated other
greater than 50 GHz. Link budget calculations predict a wise . This paragraph therefore serves as antecedent basis
dynamic range between 200 uA and 1 mA for photodiode and written support for the introduction of claims, at any
current. For a 350 UA , 50 Gbps , 215 - 1 input random bit 45 time, that combine features , elements , components , func
sequence , the TIA 100 shows an open eye with an RMS jitter tions, and steps from different embodiments, or that substi
of 880 fs (link budget: 2 .4 ps ). Therefore, the simulation tute features, elements, components, functions, and steps
results of the proposed TIA 100 all satisfy the link budget from one embodiment with those of another, even if the
calculations discussed above. following description does not explicitly state , in a particular
FIG . 2 illustrates a die microphotograph 200 of an exem - 50 instance , that such combinations or substitutions are pos
plary transimpedance amplifier ( TIA ) implemented in a 130 sible . Express recitation of every possible combination and
nm SiGe BiCMOS process according to embodiments of the substitution is overly burdensome, especially given that the
present disclosure . The TIA chip occupies 1x0 . 575 mm permissibility of each and every such combination and
( including pads ) of die area . An on -chip 100 ff metal substitution will be readily recognized by those of ordinary
capacitor accounts for the photodiode parasitic capacitance . 55 skill in the art upon reading this description .
FIG . 3 illustrates simulated and measured transimpedance In many instances entities are described herein as being
gain vs. frequency 300 of an exemplary transimpedance coupled to other entities. It should be understood that the
amplifier (TIA ) according to embodiments of the present terms" coupled ” and “ connected ” (or any of their forms) are
disclosure . A measured transimpedance gain of 41 dB2 used interchangeably herein and, in both cases , are generic
across a wide bandwidth greater than 50 GHz is achieved 60 to the direct coupling of two entities (without any non
with great agreement between measurement and simulation . negligible intervening entities ) and the indirect coupling of
It is noteworthy that the upper frequency of 50 GHz is two entities (with one or more non - negligible intervening
limited by bandwidth of the spectrum analyzer. entities ). Where entities are shown as being directly coupled
FIG . 4 illustrates a histogram 400 of integrated output together, or described as coupled together without descrip
noise of an exemplary transimpedance amplifier ( TIA ) 65 tion of any intervening entity, it should be understood that
according to embodiments of the present disclosure . The those entities can be indirectly coupled together as well
histogram 400 was measured using the histogram function unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
 US 10 ,243,523 B2
10
While the above is a complete description of exemplary a local resistive shunt- in -shunt-out negative feedback
specific embodiments of the disclosure, additional embodi comprising a first resistor (R2).
ments are also possible . Thus , the above description should 3 . The TIA of claim 2 , wherein the gm -boosted dual
not be taken as limiting the scope of the disclosure, which feedback common- base stage further comprises:
is defined by the appended claims along with their full scope 5 a gm -boosting transistor (B ) driving a series load com
of equivalents . prising a second resistor (R ) and a third inductor (L1) .
4 . The TIA of claim 1 , wherein the RC -degenerated
APPENDIX OF REFERENCES common - emitter stage comprises :
a level shifter comprising a first transistor (B2) and a third
[ 1] J. Kim et al., “ A 40 -Gb/s Optical Transceiver Front-End 10 resistor (R3) ; and
in 45 nm SOI CMOS,” IEEEJ. Solid - State Circuits ., vol. an emitter degeneration stage comprising a second tran
47 , no . 3 , pp. 615 -626 , March 2012 . sistor (B .), a fourth resistor (R .), and a varactor com
[ 2 ] C . Kromer et al., “ A 40 Gb /s optical receiver in 80 - nm prising a first capacitor (Co).
CMOS for short- distance high - density interconnects,” in 5 . The TIA of claim 4 , wherein the RC - degenerated
Proc. 2006 IEEE Asia Solid - State Circuits Conf., pp . 15 common -emitter stage introduces a zero pole at a first
395 - 398, November 2006 . frequency, wherein the first frequency is 1/(26R6C6).
[ 3 ] C . Li et al., “ A Low -Power 26 -GHz Transformer-Based 6 . The TIA of claim 4 , wherein the RC -degenerated
Regulated Cascode SiGe BiCMOS Transimpedance common -emitter stage introduces a high frequency pole at a
Amplifier,” IEEE J. Solid -State Circuits ., vol. 48, no . 5 , second frequency, wherein the second frequency is
pp . 1264 -1275 , May 2013 20 (1 + Sm ,R .)/2ARGCo.
[ 4 ] T. Takemoto et al ., “ A 25 Gb/sx4 -channel 74 mW /ch 7 . The TIA of claim 1, wherein the first emitter-follower
Transimpedance Amplifier in 65 nm CMOS,” IEEE stage comprises:
CICC , pp. 1- 4 , September 2010 . a fourth inductor (L4); and
[ 5 ] E . Preisler ; G . Talor ; D . Howard ; Z . Yan ; R . Booth ; J. a fifth inductor (L5);
Zheng ; S . Chaudhry ; M . Racanelli, “ A Millimeter -Wave 25 wherein the fourth inductor (La) introduces a series peak
Capable SiGe BiCMOS Process with 270 GHz FMAX ing behavior to the output of the transimpedance ampli
HBTs Designed for High Volume Manufacturing," IEEE fier ( TIA ); and
Bipolar /BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meeting, 2011 . wherein the fifth inductor (L5 ) degenerates the first emit
[6 ] M . Cvijetic , Optical Transmission Systems Engineering , ter - follower stage .
Artech House, 2004 . 30 8 . A method of converting an input current signal to an
[ 7 ] T . Bowmaster, Synchronous Optical Network ( SONET) output voltage signal using a transimpedance amplifier
Transport Systems: Common Generic Criteria , Telcordia , ( TIA ), the method comprising:
2005. applying the input current signal to a gm -boosted dual
[8 ] E . Sackinger, Broadband Circuits for Optical Fiber feedback common -base stage of the TIA ;
Communication , John Wiley & Sons, 2005. 35 electrically coupling the g - boosted dual- feedback com
[9 ] C . Kromer et al., " A Low -Power 20 -GHz 52 -dB Tran mon - base stage of the TIA with a level shifter and
simpedance Amplifier in 80 -nm CMOS,” IEEE J. Solid RC -degenerated common -emitter stage of the TIA ;
State Circuits, vol. 39 , no . 6 , pp . 885 - 894 , June 2004 . electrically coupling the level shifter and RC - degenerated
[ 10 ] S . Mohan et al., “ Bandwidth Extension in CMOS with common - emitter stage with a first emitter - follower
Optimized On - Chip Inductors,” IEEE J. Solid - State Cir - 40 stage of the TIA , wherein the first emitter follower
cuits , pp . 346 - 355 , March 2000 . stage is inductively degenerated ; and
[ 11 ] R . Ye et al., “ Two CMOS Dual-Feedback Common - buffering the output voltage signal using a second emitter
Gate Low -Noise Amplifiers With Wideband Input and follower stage .
Noise Matching,” IEEE Trans. on Microwave Theory and 9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the gm -boosted dual
Techniques, vol. 61, no 10 , October 2013 . 45 feedback common -base stage of the TIA comprises :
[ 12 ] J . S . Weiner, et al., " An InGaAs — InP HBT differential a shunt- in -shunt-out positive feedback realized with a
transimpedance amplifier with 47 -GHz bandwidth ,” IEEE mutually coupled inductor pair comprising a first
J. Solid - State Circuits , vol. 39 , no . 10 , pp . 1720 - 1723 , inductor ( L , ) and a second inductor (L3); and
October 2004 a local resistive shunt-in - shunt- out negative feedback
[ 13 ] J. S . Weiner, et al., “ SiGe differential transimpedance 50 comprising a first resistor (R2).
amplifier with 50 -GHz bandwidth ,” IEEE ., Solid -State 10 . The method of claim 9 , wherein the gm -boosted
Circuits, vol. 38 , no . 9 , pp. 1512 - 1517 , September 2003. dual-feedback common-base stage of the TIA further com
prises :
The invention claimed is : a gy -boosting transistor ( B ) driving a series load com
1. A transimpedance amplifier ( TIA ), comprising: 55 prising a second resistor (R ) and a third inductor ( L , ).
a gm -boosted dual- feedback common -base stage ; 11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the RC -degenerated
a level shifter and an RC - degenerated common -emitter common -emitter stage of the TIA comprises :
stage; and a level shifter comprising a first transistor (Bz) and a third
a first emitter -follower stage, wherein the first emitter resistor ( R ); and
follower stage is inductively degenerated ; 60 an emitter degeneration stage comprising a second tran
wherein an output of the TIA is buffered using a second sistor (Bo), a fourth resistor (Ro), and a varactor com
emitter - follower stage. prising a first capacitor (Co ).
2 . The TIA of claim 1 , wherein the gm -boosted dual- 12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the RC -degenerated
feedback common - base stage comprises : common -emitter stage of the TIA introduces a zero pole at
a shunt- in -shunt-out positive feedback realized with a 65 a first frequency, wherein the first frequency is 1 /(2aRoCo).
mutually coupled inductor pair comprising a first 13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the RC -degenerated
inductor (L2) and a second inductor (L3); and common -emitter stage of the TIA introduces a high fre
 US 10 ,243 ,523 B2
quency pole at a second frequency, wherein the second
frequency is ( 1 + gmR .)/24R C6
14 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the first emitter
follower stage of the TIA comprises:
a fourth inductor (La) ; and 5
a fifth inductor (L );
wherein the fourth inductor (LA) introduces a series peak
ing behavior to the output of the transimpedance ampli
fier ( TIA ); and
wherein the fifth inductor (L5) degenerates the first emit - 10
ter -follower stage.