Current-mode smart pixel receivers

We propose a new family of smart pixel receivers which use a current-mode front-end and a current-to-voltage converter. The sensitivity and the power consumption of a current mode circuit are independent of the bit rate and input capacitance. The bandwidth is also independent of input capacitance. Typically, the input capacitance is large compared to the minimum gate capacitance. The current-mode front-end offers a potential advantage in terms of sensitivity and power if its switching current and its static power is small by providing a ´buffer´ between the high capacitance of detectors.