Optical Communication Components and Subsystems

ECE 565 Spring 2005

Homework 6 Solutions
Problem 4.1. The photodetector responsivity is given by R = q/h = /1.24, with
expressed in m. For =1.3 m, R= 0.84 A/W, and for =1.55 m, R= 1.0 A/W.
The reason for the increase in the responsivity is that the photocurrent is proportional to the
photon flux (photon arrivals per second), since each photogenerated electron-hole pair
produces the same electrical pulse regardless of the energy of the photon that generated it.
For a fixed power, a 1.3-m light has less photon flux than 1 .55-m light (since photon flux
= Poptical/h). Note, however, that in this problem we held the quantum efficiency constant.
This may or not be the case in general, depending on the type of materials used in the
absorber.

Problem 4.2. In the case of a photodetector with gain, such as the APD, the responsivity is
given by R = qg/h = g /1.24. By using 6 A/W for R and substituting for the other
parameters, we obtain = 0.5.
The average photocurrent is given by i=RPopt = 6 x 1010 x h = 6 x 1010 x ch/ 7.9 nA.

Problem 4.3. Eq.(4.2.3) and (4.2.3) state

die/dx = eie + hih and -die/dx = eie + hih. By adding these equations we conclude that
ie(x)+ ih(x) = constant (independent of x), call it i. Now replace ih(x) in (4.2.3) by i-ie(x) to
obtain:
die/dx = (e-h)ie + hi.
The homogeneous solution to this equation is ce(e-h)x and the particular solution is -hi/ (eh). To evaluate the constant c, we use the boundary condition ie(d) = i, where d is the width
of the depletion region (where impact ionization can occur). This is because i= ie(d) + ih(d)
and ih(d) =0, since no primary holes enter the depletion (or gain) region at x=d nor are there
any electrons beyond x=d that may impact ionize and contribute to hole current. This
boundary condition yields
c = {hi/ (e-h)} e-(e-h)d .
Finally, the multiplication factor M is ie(d) / ie(0) = i/{i/ (e-h)}( ee-(e-h)d -h) = (eh)/( ee-(e-h)d -h), in which the yielding the desired result. By using k=h/e, we obtain
M= (1-k) /(e-(1-k)e d -k).

Problem 4.6. The mean photocurrent is Ip = RPopt = (q/hc) x 5mW = 2.1 A. Lets find the
load resistance from the relation f = 1/2RLC, which yields RL = 995 .
s = [2q(Ip+Id) f ]1/2 3.7 nA; T = [4kBTf Fn /RL] 1/2 25.7 nA, where we used Fn = 2,
corresponding to a 3-dB amplifier noise. Thus,
SNR = Ip2 / (s2 + T2) 6.5 x 103 = 38.1 dB.

Problem 4.7. The shot-noise limit corresponds to the case when s2 dominates T2. In this
case, the SNR becomes: SNR=Ip2/2q(Ip + Id)f. Set the SNR to 100 (i.e., 20 dB) and solve for
the minimum Ip. The positive solution to the quadratic equation yields Ip 1.2 nA. We can
calculate the minimum receiver power as P = Ip /R = (1.2)/ [0.65 (0.8) /1.24] = 2.8 nW.
To calculate the noise-equivalent power, first set SNR to unity and solve for the required Ip.
This yields Ip = 0.08326 nA. Hence, P = Ip /R = (0.08326)/ [0.65 (0.8) /1.24] = 0.1985 nW
and
NEP = P /[f] = 0.1985x10-9/[20x106] = 4.44x10-14 W/Hz1/2.
In the thermal-noise limit, T2 dominates s2, and SNR=Ip2/[4kBTf Fn /RL]. Proceeding in the
same fashion as in the shot-noise-limited case, we find that Ip 257.3 nA and the minimum
power required is P 614 nW.
NEP = P /[f] = 61.4x10-9/[20x106] = 13.7 pW/Hz1/2.

Problem 4.11. As discussed in class, the minimum error occurs when the threshold is
selected as the intersection point of the probability density function of the photocurrent
conditional on the presence of optical power and the probability density function of the
photocurrent conditional on the absence of optical power. The former probability density
function is (1/[212)1/2) exp(-(x-1)2/212) and the latter is (1/[202)1/2) exp(-(x-0)2/202).
By equating the two expressions, we find that the intersection point must satisfy
(-1)2/12 - (-0)2/12 = 2 log(1/0). The correct optimal threshold is the greater solution to
this quadratic equation since 1>0 and 1>0. The approximate solution provided in the book
assumes that the log term vanishes!