Optoelectronic technologies for detector readout at the SSC

The high density of particle detectors in Hadron Collider systems, such as the SSC, requires a compact and low power dissipation readout system. The authors present the results of the development and application of two optical modulation technologies to the optical fibre transfer of analog or digital signals from the detector front end. These are the Mach-Zehnder interferometer in lithium niobate and the novel multiquantum well reflective modulator in indium phosphide. The trade off between architecture flexibility with performance and reliability is analysed. A key to the success of an optical readout system for the SSC is in the packaging of the devices for production. Here the economics of application to the central tracking detectors is discussed