LIGHTWAVE ANALOG LINKS FOR LHC DETECTOR FRONT-ENDS

The requirements on optical links for transferring analog and digital signals from the detector front-ends to the readout electronics at fut ure high-luminosity colliders are reviewed. The advantages of external modulation techniques are discussed. An outline is given of the the R &D programme recently started at CERN by a collaboration involving hig h-energy physics institutes, optoelectronics research laboratories and industry, in order to develop electro-optic intensity modulator array s, particularly for analogue applications, and to investigate the feas ibility of volume production. The design of multichannel demonstrators in lithium niobate and III-V semiconductor technology is described. P reliminary results of the performance measurements are presented.