Patent ID: 6934470

Claim:
A receiver comprising: a photodiode that translates an optical signal into an electrical signal; a first amplifier, coupled to the photodiode, that receives the electrical signal and provides a first signal; a converter, coupled to the first amplifier, that performs a linear-to-logarithmic conversion of the first signal to provide an output signal; and an analog-to-digital converter that converts the output signal to a digital output signal wherein the converter provides the output signal, represented by ΔV BE , having a value defined by at least one of the following equations, Δ V BE =( n·K·T/q )·ln( I 1 /I 2 ) Δ V BE =( n·K·T/q )·ln( V DC /V REF ) Δ V BE =C·log 10 ( V DC /V REF ), with C=2.3·n·K·T/q and where I 1 , I 2 and V DC , V REF are values of current flowing through and voltage at a terminal, respectively, of at least one of a transistor and a diode, and wherein the analog-to-digital converter provides the digital output signal, which is based on a difference in the measurement of the output signal when I 1 or V DC is applied and then when I 2 or V REF is applied.