High speed driver for optoelectronic devices

摘要

A driver circuit for a unidirectional optoelectronic device is disclosed, which circuit is arranged to improve the fall time characteristic of the optical output of the device. The circuit controls the device to draw a nonzero current when the device is in an "off" state and a larger current when the device is in an "on" state. The circuit controls the current through the device such that the current is momentarily reduced to an amount less than the "off" current during a transition from the "on" to "off" states, thus effectively simulating a negative current overdrive otherwise impossible through such a unidirectional device.