Tunable Equalizer for 64 Gbps data communication systems in 130nm SiGe

Paper i proceeding, 2018

We report the design and measurement of a fully differential continuous time tunable Equalizer MMIC, suitable for short haul fiber optical interconnection systems. The circuit was designed in 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS process provided by Infineon Technologies. The equalizer's performance was verified via on wafer measurements. Eye diagram measurements were carried out up to 64 Gbps with a 20-GHz-bandwidth-limited coaxial cable to emulate the frequency limitations of a typical optical link in order to demonstrate signal equalization. The MMIC measures 0.86 x 0.52 mm(2) and consumes 130 mW of power from a -2.6 V supply, giving it a measured energy efficiency of 2.03 pJ/bit at 64 Gbps.