imec debuts 100 GHz Ge/Si avalanche photodiode (APD) enabling net 400 Gbps data reception at just 5 V

At the European Conference on Optical Communications (ECOC), imec – a world-leading research and innovation hub in advanced semiconductor technologies – presented the world's first Ge/Si avalanche photodiode (APD) to combine 100 GHz bandwidth, low-voltage (5 V) operation and a responsivity of 1.8 A/W across both the O- and C-bands. Delivering a 3 dB receiver-sensitivity improvement, the device was used to demonstrate the first net 400 Gbps optical link employing an APD receiver.