The quad photoreceptor array consists of four InGaAs photodiodes on an InP substrate and four monolithically integrated transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) to produce a four-channel electrical output signal, each channel operating at up to 28 GB/s.
Broadband usage trends in the Internet backbone, metropolitan loops, and large data centers indicate a need for data transmission speeds of 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s per router port. To address this need, the IEEE 802.3ba Ethernet working group was established to develop standards for interoperable and cost-effective 40 Gb/s and 100 Gb/s transceivers. These include standards operating over copper, multimode fiber, and single-mode fiber, designed for various link lengths. Discovery's quad photoreceptor arrays are designed to meet the 100 Gigabit Ethernet standard for single-mode fiber.
These new quad photoreceptor arrays have demonstrated a sensitivity without preamplification and an Uncorrected Bit Error Rate (UBER) of -12 dBm operating in the 1310 nm band. Typical power consumption for these arrays is 200 mW per channel. They are available with GPPO outputs or coplanar waveguide RF outputs.