Bit error rate and noise analysis of an InGaAs photoconductive gate at gigabit per second data rates

The bit-error-rate (BER) performance of an InGaAs photoconductive gate operating at multiple gigabit per second data rates has been investigated for application in optical time-division interconnects. The BER calculations consider the contrast ratio of the photoconductive gate and the number of successive time slots that the receiver integrates over before deciding if a one or zero has been sent. The receiver noise model considers the effects of the generation-recombination and thermal noise of the photoconductive detector, the amplifier noise of the receiver electronics, and the relative intensity noise (RIN) of the laser transmitter. The results indicate that the BER performance is greatly dependent on the contrast ratio of the photoconductive gate and the RIN of the transmitting laser. As a result, a reduction in high-speed electronic decision circuitry in the receiver is achieved for low RIN lasers and high contrast photoconductive gates.<>