Low-Noise, Fibre Channel Transimpedance
Amplifiers
sensitivity. To obtain a system bit error rate (BER) of 1E-
12, the signal-to-noise ratio must always exceed 14.1.
The input sensitivity, expressed in average power, can
be estimated as:
form using chip and wire technology provides the best
possible performance. Figure 5 shows a suggested lay-
out for a TO header for the MAX3275/MAX3277.
Special care should be taken to ensure that ESD at IN
does not exceed 500V.
14.1IN(re +1)×1000
2ρ(re -1)
Sensitivity=10 log
dBm
Photodiode Filter
Supply voltage noise at the cathode of the photodiode
produces a current I = C
∆V/∆t, which reduces the
PD
where ρ is the photodiode responsivity in A/W and I is
N
receiver sensitivity (C
is the photodiode capaci-
PD
RMS current in Amps.
tance). The filter resistor of the MAX3275/MAX3277,
combined with an external capacitor, can be used to
reduce this noise (see the Typical Application Circuit).
Current generated by supply noise voltage is divided
Input Optical Overload
The overload is the largest input that the MAX3275/
MAX3277 accept while meeting specifications. The
optical overload can be estimated in terms of average
power with the following equation:
between C
and C . The input noise current due
PD
FILTER
to supply noise is (assuming the filter capacitor is much
larger than the photodiode capacitance):
2E-3 r +1 ×1000
) ( e
(
)
I
= (V
)(C ) / (R
)(C
)
FILTER
NOISE
NOISE
PD
FILTER
Overload=10 log
dBm
2ρ(re -1)
If the amount of tolerable noise is known, the filter
capacitor can be easily selected:
Optical Linear Range
The MAX3275/MAX3277 have high gain, which limits
the output when the input signal exceeds 50µA . The
P-P
C
= (V
)(C ) / (R
NOISE
)(I
)
FILTER
PD
FILTER NOISE
MAX3275/MAX3277 operate in a linear range (10% lin-
earity) for inputs not exceeding:
For example, with maximum noise voltage = 100mV
,
P-P
selected to
C
= 0.85pF, R
= 600Ω, and I
PD
FILTER
NOISE
be 350nA:
50E-6 r +1 ×1000
) ( e
(
)
Linear Range=10 log
dBm
C
FILTER
= (100mV)(0.85pF) / (600Ω)(350nA) = 400pF
2ρ(re -1)
Wire Bonding
Layout Considerations
For high-current density and reliable operation, the
MAX3275/MAX3277 use gold metalization. Connections
to the die should be made with gold wire only, using
ball-bonding techniques. Wedge bonding is not recom-
mended. Die thickness is typically 15 mils (0.4mm).
Noise performance and bandwidth will be adversely
affected by capacitance at the IN pad. Minimize
capacitance on this pad and select a low-capacitance
photodiode. Assembling the MAX3275/MAX3277 in die
Pad Coordinates
V
CC
PAD#
COORDINATES (µm)
16, 39
C
FILTER
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
16, 372
PHOTODIODE
16, 806
CAP
358, 806
OUT+
OUT-
358, 341
358, 36
362, -116
250, -116
138, -116
MAX3275
OUTPUT POLARITIES
REVERSED FOR MAX3277
CASE IS GROUND
Figure 5. Suggested Layout for TO-46 Header
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