Sensitivity Improvements in an 850-nm VCSEL-Based Link Using a Two-Tap Pre-Emphasis Electronic Filter

We present an investigation of an ISI penalty reduction for on-off keying in an 850-nm VCSEL-based short optical link using a two-tap electronic pre-emphasis filter and quantify the improvement relative to an equivalent link without pre-emphasis. Error-free operation is demonstrated at bit rates above the -3 dB modulation bandwidth of the link. Sensitivity improvement up to 9 dB compared to nonemphasized signaling is shown. A maximum error-free bit rate achievable in the link is increased to 57 Gb/s, compared to 52 Gb/s without the pre-emphasis.