An analog modulator for 460 MB/S visible light data transmission based on OOK-NRS modulation

This article describes an analog modulator that contains modulation, a MOSFET drive, and pre-emphasis circuits for a high-speed VLC application system based on a commercial phosphorescent white LED. We propose a small signal modulation model that is implemented by an AC-coupled N-channel MOSFET circuit and present a pre-emphasis circuit to enhance the 3 dB bandwidth of a VLC link. Utilizing our proposed analog modulator combined with blue filtering, the 3 dB bandwidth of a VLC system could be extended from 3 to 175 MHz, which allows OOK-NRZ data transmission up to 460 Mb/s with BER below 10–9 under a 1 m radial distance. With a simple analog modulator based on the simplest OOK-NRZ modulation scheme, a high-speed VLC system could be realized. The VLC link with the proposed analog modulator is a good solution for a high-speed low-complexity and low-cost practical VLC application system.