
M
Therefore,
P
AVG
= Pp-p (1 / 2)[(r
e
+ 1) / (r
e
- 1)]
Sensitivity is a key specification of the receiver module.
The ITU/Bellcore specifications for SDH/SONET
receivers require a link sensitivity of -27dBm with a bit
error rate (BER) of 10
-10
. There is an additional 1dB
power penalty to accommodate various system losses;
therefore, the sensitivity of a 622Mbps receiver must be
better than -28dBm.
Although several parameters affect sensitivity (such as
the quantizer sensitivity and preamplifier gain, as previ-
ously discussed), most fiber optic receivers are designed
so that noise is the dominant factor. Noise from the high-
gain transimpedance amplifier, in particular, determines
the sensitivity. The noise generated by the MAX3665 can
be modeled with a Gaussian distribution. In this case, a
BER of 10
-10
corresponds to a peak-to-peak signal
amplitude to RMS noise ratio (SNR) of 12.7. The
MAX3665’s typical input-referred noise, i
n
, (bandwidth-
limited to 470MHz) is 55nA
RMS
. Therefore, the minimum
input for a BER of 10
-10
is (12.7
·
55nA) = 699nAp-p.
Rearranging the previous equations in these terms
results in the following relationship:
Optical Sensitivity (dBm) =
10log[(i
n
/
ρ
)(SNR)(1/2)(r
e
+ 1) / (r
e
- 1)(1000)]
At room temperature, with r
e
= 10, SNR = 12.7, i
n
=
55nA, and
ρ
= 0.9A/W, the MAX3665 sensitivity is
-33.2dBm. For worst-case conditions, noise increases
to 72nA and sensitivity decreases to -32.1dBm. The
MAX3665 provides 5.1dB margin over the SDH/SONET
specifications, even at +85°C.
The MAX3665’s overload current (I
MAX
) is greater than
450μAp-p. The pulse-width distortion and input current
are closely related. If the clock recovery circuit can
accept more pulse-width distortion, a higher input current
might be acceptable. For worst-case responsivity and
extinction ratio,
ρ
= 1A/W and r
e
=
∞
, the input overload
is:
Overload (dBm) = -10log (I
MAX
)(1 / 2)(1000)
For I
MAX
= 450μA, the MAX3665 overload is -6.5dBm.
Step 2: Designing Filters
The MAX3665’s noise performance is a strong function
of the circuit’s bandwidth, which changes over temper-
ature and varies from lot to lot. The receiver sensitivity
can be improved by adding filters to limit this band-
width. Filter designs can range from a one-pole filter
using a single capacitor, to more complex filters using
inductors. Figure 3 illustrates two examples: the simple
filter provides moderate roll-off with minimal compo-
nents, while the complex filter provides a sharper roll-
off. Parasitics on the PC board will affect the filter char-
acteristics. Refer to the MAX3665 EV kit data sheet for a
layout example of the filter shown in Figure 3b.
Supply voltage noise at the cathode of the photodiode
produces a current I = C
PHOTO
(
V/
t), which reduces
the receiver sensitivity. C
PHOTO
is the photodiode
capacitance.
The FILT resistor of the MAX3665, combined with an
external capacitor (see
Typical Operating Circuit
) can
be used to reduce this noise. The external capacitor
(C
FILT
) is placed in parallel with the photodiode.
Current generated by supply noise is divided between
C
FILT
and C
PHOTO
. The input noise current due to sup-
ply noise is (assuming the filter capacitor is much larger
than the photodiode capacitance):
I
V
C
C
)(
R
(
NOISE
NOISE
PHOTO
FILT
FILT
=
(
)(
)
)
622Mbps, Ultra-Low-Power, 3.3V
Transimpedance Preamplifier for SDH/SONET
6
_______________________________________________________________________________________
MAX3665
C1
5pF
22nH
22nH
R
L
100
a)
SIMPLE, 1-POLE, 530MHz FILTER
50
50
1.2pF
MAX3665
4pF
5pF
R
L
100
b)
3-POLE, 515MHz FILTER
50
50
1.2pF
REFER TO THE MAX3665 EV KIT DATA SHEET
FOR THE FILTER LAYOUT EXAMPLE.
Figure 3. Filter Design Examples