Optical energy considerations for diode-clamped smart pixel optical receivers

We calculate the switching time as a function of optical energy for a single-stage smart pixel receiver. We find that operating the receivers dynamically using modelocked pulses is the most energy-efficient method of operation. We also show that the receivers no longer operate with constant optical input energy, like the symmetric self electro-optic effect device (S-SEED), but rather the product of the required optical energy and the switching time is constant, as a result of the introduction of electrical voltage gain