100-GBd Linear Optical Modulator Driver for Short-Reach Links in 130-nm SiGe:C BiCMOS

In this paper, a 100-GBd linear modulator driver is presented for short-reach intensity modulation and direct detection (IM/DD) links with low-drive-voltage Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) or elctro-absorption modulators (EAMs). The fabricated driver features differential gain of 19.3 dB with >67-GHz bandwidth. To improve the quality of a 100-GBd eye diagram, a distributed load network (DLN) is demonstrated. Eye diagrams are measured, showing 100-GBd NRZ signal is supported. For 75-GBd PAM4 (150-Gb/s) signal, differential 2.6 V
pp
with a ratio of level mismatch (RLM) of 91% is achieved. The driver has a small footprint of 0.26 mm
²
with 336-mW DC power consumption.