A 20Gb/s VCSEL driver with pre-emphasis and regulated output impedance in 0.13μm CMOS

Two 20Gb/s optical transmitters are presented. They are a part of a 4×12 array intended for backplane data links. The drivers are fabricated in 0.13μm CMOS and include pre-emphasis and regulated output impedance. When coupled to 990nm VCSELs, they provide optical modulation amplitude of 0dBm and consume 70mW and 120mW. © 2005 IEEE.