Abstract
The current state of the art of photodetectors, both PIN and avalanche, for 1.1 to 1.6 um operation is reviewed. The devices are compared as components of optical receivers using several different types of amplifiers. GalnAsP/InP PIN and avalanche photodiode (APD) detectors are shown to be clearly superior to Ge devices with respect to dark current and other sources of noise. Receivers with performance within a few dB of the quantum limit appear to be possible with current technology.
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