A Review of Modern CMOS Transimpedance Amplifiers for OTDR Applications

Abstract

The work presents a review of modern CMOS transimpedance amplifiers (TIAs) in the context of their application for low-cost optical time-domain reflectometry (OTDR). After introducing the basic principles behind the OTDR, the requirements for a suitable CMOS TIA are presented and discussed. A concise review of several basic TIA topologies is provided with a brief overview of their main properties. A detailed discussion is given on a representative set of approaches reported in the literature and the figure of merit (FOM) is introduced as a unified basis for performance comparison. Limitations of a single FOM as a basis for comparison are pointed out. Based on the provided discussion, some suggestions are made on the suitability of the TIA topologies for OTDR applications.

Review and Analysis of CMOS Current Readout Circuits for Biosensing Applications

“…Transimpedance amplifier (TIA) is a major building block used in current sensing systems. It converts a weak signal current to a voltage output with substantial magnitude [6]. A TIA employs negative feedback to minimize its input impedance, which makes it suitable for current sensing [8].…”

“…Over the years, CMOS current readout system benefits from the constant improvements at the circuit and architectural level. Almost every design presents a novel perspective to address certain limitations and/or resolves some of the system-related technological constraints [6]. The main challenge a circuit designer faces is to select a suitable topology based on the design specifications such as bandwidth, input-referred noise, power consumption, dynamic range, and sensitivity [7].…”

A design methodology for programmable-gain low-noise TIA in CMOS

“…Similar to optical receivers designed for high-speed data transmission, the front-end structure of a classical OTDR device includes the front-end Transimpedance Amplifier (TIA) and its sensitivity, if insufficient, can limit the overall performance of the instrument. Although numerous TIA designs in CMOS have been proposed in last decades (see [7,8] for an overview of recent designs), most of them have been designed with respect to the requirements of classical optical data transmission. Here, the fiber characterization with OTDR puts a slightly different context on the specification of the circuit with additional performance constraints to be considered.…”

On the g m-Boosted Miller-Effect Minimized Inverter-Cascode Transimpedance Amplifier for Sensor Applications

“…Many TIA designs in sensor and biomedical application require very high gain along-with low-bandwidth due to the slowly varying signals in such applications. Comparative reviews of many possible TIA topologies have been discussed by authors in [1,2]. Nano-pore DNA analysis [3,4] using solid-state nanopore (diameter ≤ 30nm) requires TIAs with very high gain and low bandwidth.…”