10 Gbit/s optical front end using Si-bipolar preamplifier IC, flipchip APD, and slant-end fibre

Abstract

An optical front end for a 10 Gbit/s optical receiver has been fabricated that features a 10 GHz Si preamplifier IC, a flip-chip APD with an 80 GHz gain-bandwidth product, and slant-end fibre optical coupling. Hybrid construction consisting of a flipchip APD mounted directly on the preamplifier chip minimises interconnect parasitics, and slant-end fibre optical coupling simplifies flat-package assembly of chip and fibre. An optical sensitivity of −23 dBm was achieved.