Patent · US Active

On-chip test interface for voltage-mode Mach-Zehnder modulator driver

US9941958B2 · kind B2 · utility

0Cited by
2References
21Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 15, 2015
Grant dateApr 10, 2018
Priority date
Expiry dateMay 31, 2036

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH04L27/01
  • WIPO fieldTelecommunications
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

An apparatus comprising a semiconductor chip that comprises an optical modulator configured to modulate an optical signal based on a received driver signal, a voltage-mode (VM) driver coupled to the optical modulator and configured to produce a level-shifted driver signal to modulate the optical signal, and a two-stage test interface coupled to the optical modulator and configured to receive and test the level shifted driver signal. The two-stage test interface comprises a voltage equalization stage coupled to an output-terminated buffer stage, the VM driver comprises a two-stage VM Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) driver that comprises a pre-driver coupled to a VM level-shifter (VMLS). The apparatus further comprises a resistor coupled to an output of the buffer stage, wherein the resistor comprises an amount of resistance that matches a termination resistance of a test equipment. The termination resistance is about 50 ohm (Ω).

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.