Zarlink Semiconductor has unveiled a high-performance receiver for optical signals operating up to 3.125Gb/s. The ZL60011 device detects and amplifies high bandwidth optical pulses with high efficiency enabling designers to reduce cost, size and complexity of optical equipment. Traditionally, discrete photodiodes and amplifiers, linked by complex circuitry, have been required to reliably detect and pre-amplify high-speed optical pulses. The ZL60011 optical receiver saves designers time, money and board space by integrating a highly-sensitive PIN (positive-intrinsic-negative) photodiode, a low-noise transimpedance and limiting amplifier, and a photo current monitor into one compact component.
At wavelengths of 1310nm, the device reliably detects signals operating as low as -23dBm below nominal signal intensity. It is targeted for use in 2.5Gb/s optical equipment for SDH (synchronous digital hierarchy) STM (synchronous transport module)-16 networks, in optical equipment for 2.488Gb/s SONET (synchronous optical network) OC (optical carrier)-48 networks, and other high-speed networks, including Fiber Channel and Gigabit Ethernet.
Zarlink's ZL60011 optical receiver integrates an InGaAs (indium gallium arsenide) PIN photodiode, a SiGe (silicon germanium) transimpedance amplifier with an integrated limiting amplifier and a photo current monitor. The device detects optical signals transported over fiber cable at speeds up to 3.125Gb/s, amplifies and converts them to electronic signals, which are presented on a two-pin differential output.
It complies fully with OC-48 and STM-16 standards for synchronous optical networks defined by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) and ITU-T (International Telecommunication Union-Telecommunications).
The ZL60011 comes in a five-pin standard TO-46 package and is priced at US$30 (1000).
Zarlink Semiconductor has unveiled a high-performance receiver for optical signals operating up to 3.125Gb/s. The ZL60011 device detects and amplifies high bandwidth optical pulses with high efficiency enabling designers to reduce cost, size and complexity of optical equipment.
