Current mode processing and architecture for optoelectronically interconnected arrays

Abstract

The combination of optoelectronic arrays consisting of optical emitters and detectors with processing electronics constitutes the basis of smart pixel arrays. These architectures present an attractive basis for optoelectronic systems. Ideally, they combine the efficiency of electronic circuits with the interconnection capabilities of optics to achieve improved performance or implement new functionalities. This dissertation deals with optoelectronic interconnections in general, and with the important special case of optoelectronic feedback. Such systems, whether integrated or distributed, open up a variety of new prospects for optoelectronic systems, especially in sensor applications. These concepts are first developed for a single pixel, and then generalized to in a matrix formalism for an arbitrary smart pixel array. An important part of a smart pixel array is the electronic circuits required to interface the optoelectronic devices and to perform the necessary signal processing tasks. A new approach based on a current mode processing architecture is presented and implemented in CMOS technology as an ASIC integrated circuit. Experimental results from two fabricated CMOS chips as well as LED and VCSEL-based optoelectronic arrays are presented.