Multi Gbit/s, high-sensitivity all silicon 3.3 V optical receiver using PIN lateral trench photodetector

We report a 3.3 V silicon optical receiver consisting of a CMOS-compatible lateral trench PIN photodiode and a transimpedance amplifier that achieved a sensitivity of -17. 1 dBm at 2.5 Gb/s and demonstrated error-free (BER<10/sup -10/) operation up to 6.5 Gb/s at 845 nm. This is the highest reported sensitivity at data rates above 2.0 Gb/s and the fastest operation of any Si-based optical receiver.