Quantifying current-dependant quantum efficiency photodiode nonlinearities

Abstract

Nonlinearities in the RF output of a p-i-n photodiode are attributed to photocurrent-dependent changes in the photodiode quantum efficiency (responsivity). Physical causes of the current dependence are discussed, and a mathematical model for calculating the resulting distortion power is presented. Photodiode responsivity is measured and used to calculate distortion, which is then compared to measured nonlinearity data.

Millimeter-wave generation using hybrid silicon photonics

“…PD non-linearity will result in the presence of higher harmonics in the generated mm-wave when the PD is illuminated with an optical beating signal containing a pure RF tone [223]. The generation of even harmonics will only be an issue for multi-octave systems, 4 while the odd harmonics will also affect single-octave systems; the generation of these harmonics not only results in a compression of the output RF power but when the nonlinearly generated spurious signals above the noise level from one frequency band end up in another frequency band, they create crosstalk between data channels [212].…”

RF Characterization and Modeling of High-Power InGaAs/InP Photodiodes for Analog Optic Links

“…Many physical mechanisms could potentially contribute to the nonlinear behavior of photodiodes, including carrier velocity modulation [40], carrier recombination [43], nonlinear capacitance [44,45], resistance [45], and nonlinear responsivity [46]. Optical effects such as refractive index change due to electric field and carrier concentration [47,48] are also capable of producing nonlinear response under certain conditions.…”