Design of silicon-based equalization techniques for band-limited giga-hertz channels.

摘要

The object of this research is to develop a solution for band-limited channels. Backplane channels and GPON channels are investigated to apply an equalization technique. Different lengths of backplane channels are measured with different signal speeds to investigate the channel performance. Also a GPON system with different fiber lengths is designed and set up in a lab to measure the BER performance. The GPON system utilizes a Fabry-Perot laser for the most economical solution. After the circuits are fabricated, they are inserted into the system to measure the performance of the channels with equalizers. Both the backplane and the GPON system show successful channel improvement in measured eye diagrams and BER. To expedite the procedure and eventually build an adaptive system which could be inserted and self-optimizing, we found it essential to monitor the output of the equalizer. A novel analog way to achieve this goal is suggested. All the equalizers mentioned in this dissertation have one summing node to add up all the values from VGAs. This structure is very efficient, but in the event that there are too many VGAs, it draws too much current through the one node. This issue is dealt with by the design of two nine tap equalizers, which are compared to assess the difference in performance between the unbalanced structure and the balanced structure.