Abstract

Sensitivity of high-speed optical receivers is heavily influenced by the performance of the optical detectors used in the receivers, the data rate, and the target bit-error-rate (BER). A simulation model for sensitivity of optical receivers based on electron-avalanche photodiodes (e-APDs) is presented. It allows for the optimization of avalanche width and operating voltage to achieve the optimum receiver sensitivity for given bit rate and target BER. The effects modelled include inter-symbol interference (ISI), various dark current components (tunnelling, diffusion, and generation), current impulse duration, avalanche gain, and amplifier's noise. The model was demonstrated through simulations of Indium Arsenide (InAs) e-APDs. For $10^{-12}$ target BER, the receiver's sensitivities were found to be −30.6, −22.7, −19.2, and −16.6 dBm, for 10, 25, 40, and 50 Gb/s data rate, respectively. Desirable avalanche properties of InAs e-APDs are counteracted by detrimental effects of high dark currents. Hence InAs e-APDs with lower dark currents are required to be more competitive with other optical detector technologies for high-speed optical receivers. The data reported in this article is available from the ORDA digital repository (DOI: 10.15131/shef.data.9959468).

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