Abstract

Optical communication has enlarged its application areas beyond telecommunication. Data communication has been growing rapidly and requires continual improvement in the performance of optical data links to satisfy the expanding demands on computer communication, n such as channel, peripheral interface and network. Recently, there has been a surge of interest in an optical data link at gigabit rates for this application. For instance, a standard called HIPPI is now under discussion at ANSI. Nevertheless, the specification of this application requires receiver performance of both high sensitivity (−25 dBm) and very wide dynamic range (20 dB), which is difficult to achieve even with hybrid integrated-circuit (IC) technology. We have developed a GaAs IC chip set for an optical receiver that fulfills all the requirements.

© 1991 Optical Society of America