1-V continuous-time equalizers for multi-gigabit short-haul optical fiber communications

Two new CMOS analog continuous-time equalizers for high-speed short-haul optical fiber communications are presented in this paper. The proposed structures compensate the limited bandwidth-length product of 1-mm step-index polymer optical fiber channels (45 MHz, 100 m) and have been designed in a standard 0.18-µm CMOS process. The equalizers are aimed for multi-gigabit short-range applications, targeting up to 2 Gb/s through a 50-m step-index polymer optical fiber. The prototypes operate with a single supply voltage of only 1 V and overcome the severe limitations suffered by the widely used degenerated differential pair caused by the low supply voltage. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.