Fully integrated 0.18μm CMOS equalizer with an active inductance peaking delay line for 10Gbps data throughput over 500m multimode fiber

In this paper, we present a fully integrated equalizer for 10Gbps data throughput over multimode fiber. The equalizer uses a newly proposed active delay line approach with an active inductance. The active inductance enables 10Gbps data throughput equalization with an integrated single to differential converter. A buffer stage is also integrated at the output stage to deliver low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) level at the 50-ohm termination. The overall architecture is implemented using a 0.18μm, standard CMOS process with a 1.8V supply voltage. The active delay line scheme results in reduced equalizer chip area in comparison to a passive delay line approach. The 10Gbps non return-to-zero (NRZ) signal is received through a 500m multimode fiber channel, and the signal impairment due to the differential mode delay is successfully compensated.