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Optical information
CHAPTER 4: OPTICAL RECEIVER

4.1. The basic concepts

Introduce:
• Optical receiver devices, also known as optical
receivers, are one of the important parts in
optical communication systems.
• The main function of this device is to convert
the received optical signal into an electrical
signal.
• At the optical receiver, the optical signal wave
from the transmitter side is converted into an
electrical signal, then amplified and restored
back into a signal of the same form as at the
input to the optical transmitter.

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4.1. The basic concepts

Photovoltaic
Diodes
• The main function of this (Solar Panels)
device is to convert the
received optical signal into
an electrical signal.
• At the optical receiver, the
optical signal wave from the
transmitter side is
converted into an electrical
signal, then amplified and
restored back into a signal Typical
of the same form as at the Photoconductive
Diodes
input to the optical
transmitter.

4.1. The basic concepts

Materials for making photodiodes:
• In the spectral region from 800 nm
to 900 nm, a number of different
materials such as Si, Ge, GaAs can
be used as photodiodes.
• At longer wavelengths, from above
1100 nm to 1700 nm, using Si and
Ge materials is not suitable.
• Some other materials such as III-V
semiconductor alloys are also used
for long wavelengths such as
InGaAsP, GaSb, InGaAs, GaAlSb.

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4.2. Semiconductor photoelectric conversion components

(photodiode)

• Wave detector (photodiode):

4.2. Semiconductor photoelectric conversion components

(photodiode)

Responsivity against wavelength characteristics: (a) an ideal silicon

photodiode with a typical device also shown; (b) silicon, germanium and InGaAs
photodiodes with quantum efficiencies also shown.

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4.2. Semiconductor photoelectric conversion components

(photodiode)

• The light emission absorbed in the material corresponds to the

following exponential function:

= −

• Cutting wavelength:
,
= =

• The total power absorbed at distance w will be:

= −

4.2. Semiconductor photoelectric conversion components

(photodiode)

• Quantum efficiency:
⁄
= =
⁄

• Response of photodiode at given wavelength:

.
= = =
,
• Operating wavelength of photodiode:

.
= . =

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4.2. Semiconductor photoelectric conversion components

(photodiode)

Basic Photodiode Construction Photons Create Electron/Hole Pairs

4.2. Semiconductor photoelectric conversion components

(photodiode)

Holes and Electrons are Attracted Holes and Electrons Form

by Reverse Bias a Photoelectric Current

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4.2. Semiconductor photoelectric conversion components

(photodiode)

Energy Band Diagram

PIN Photodiode
of Photodiode Action

4.3. Technical characteristics of photodiode

Parameter (symbol) Unit Si Ge InGaAs

Wavelength λ μm 0,4 – 1,1 0,8 – 1.8 1,0 – 1,7

Response R A/W 0,4 – 0,6 0,5 – 0,7 0,6 – 0,9

Quantum efficiency η % 79 – 90 50 – 55 60 – 70

Dark current Id nA 1 – 10 50 – 500 1 – 20

Time up Tr Ns 0,5 – 1 0,1 – 0,5 0,05 – 0,5

Frequency band Δf GHz 0,3 – 0,6 0,5 – 3 1–5

Voltage Bias Vb V 50 - 100 6 – 10 5–6

Characteristics of typical p-i-n photodiodes

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4.3. Technical characteristics of photodiode

• Creating a high-speed photodiode is to use an optical waveguide to

edge-couple the optical signal.
• “Mushroom Mesa” waveguide structure.

Response time and drift-zone photon current of a

photodetector
• Response time:
=
• Junction capacitance:
=
• With: =

Respond for photodiode

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Response time and drift-zone photon current of a

photodetector

Photo flow in drifting area:

• The lifetimes and diffusion lengths have the following relationship:

= =

• Under steady state conditions, the total current density Jtot flowing
through the drift region is:
= +

• G.Keier formula:
= − +
+

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Avalanche photodiodes

(a) Avalanche photodiode showing high electric field (gain) region.

(b) Carrier pair multiplication in the gain region of an avalanche
photodiode

Avalanche photodiodes

Structure of a silicon avalanche photodiode (APD) with guard ring

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Avalanche photodiodes

Measurement of quantum
efficiency against wavelength
for a silicon RAPD
(a)Structure of a silicon RAPD.
(b) The field distribution in the RAPD showing
the gain region across the p–n+ junction

Phototransistors

(a) Symbolic representation of the n–p–n phototransistor

showing the external connections.
(b) Cross-section of an n–p–n InGaAsP/InP heterojunction
phototransistor.

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4.4. Pre-amplifiers

4.5. Noise in optical receiver

Noise sources of p-i-n detectors:

• Includes detector noise resulting from the statistical nature of the
photon-to-electronic conversion and thermal noise associated with
electrical amplifier circuits in the receiver.

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4.5. Noise in optical receiver

• When a modulated optical power P(t) enters the photodiode, the emitted
photo current corresponding to the optical signal is written as follows:

( )= ( )=

• For the p-i-n detector, the quantum noise variation in the effective band
Be (also called the electrical band):

4.5. Noise in optical receiver

• The dark current noise is emitted from the bulk
material of the photodiode and it is also called the idb.
block dark current. The noise transformation of this
line is written as:
= = Dark Current and Noise

• Photodiode surface leakage current isl is also

considered surface dark current (leakage current):
= =
• Thermal noise current iT :
= = ⁄
Total noise power:
= = + + ⁄
Transimpedance Photodiode Amplifier

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4.5. Noise in optical receiver

Noise sources of APD detector:

• Total noise of the APD detector: Avalanche Photodiode

= = + + + ⁄
Với = + − − ⁄

• From the experimental results, FA is considered to be approximately equal to:

FA ≈ Mx.
• The parameter x is in the range (0 ≤ x ≤ 1)

4.5. Noise in optical receiver

Signal to noise ratio:

=
• The SNR ratio for the p-i-n photodiode receiver is written as:
=
2 + + + 4 ⁄
• In addition, if the receiver design is not done carefully, the active
elements of the amplifier circuit can produce the maximum noise current
iamp:
=
2 + +2 + 4 ⁄

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4.6. Parameters of optical receiver

• When it comes to photodiode

parameters, there are 2
important parameters:
- First parameter: each photodiode
has its own quantum efficiency.
⁄
=
⁄

- Second parameter: photo current

conversion factor R.
= =

4.7. Some other problems in receiver design

• The optical signal received from the transmitter entering the fiber will be
gradually attenuated, and the distortion will increase with the length of
transmission distance due to the effects of scattering, absorption and
dispersion in the fiber.
• The receiver must ensure to receive very weak, distorted signals and
must separate noise components that are quite large compared to the
signal.
• To have a long transmission line with a high bit rate, the optical receiver
needs to satisfy the following main conditions:
- Has a large signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and high reception sensitivity.
- Operates in high frequency band conditions.

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