Low power consumption 10-Gb/s SiGe modulator drivers with 9V_PP differential output swing using intrinsic collector-base capacitance feedback network

A novel intrinsic collector-base capacitance (C_CB) feedback network (ICBCFN) is incorporated into the conventional cascode circuit configuration to implement a 10-Gb/s modulator driver in 0.35 μm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The driver integrated circuit (IC) could output 9 V_PP differential or 4.5 V_PP single-ended (S.E.) output swing with rise/fall time less than 29 ps while it consumes power as low as 0.8 W. The performance and simulation results compared with preceding works are also shown in this paper. The proposed driver consumes the lowest power and occupies the smallest die area, and its output swing spans wider than the commonly-reported silicon-based modulator drivers.