US Patent 7659844 Optical-to-electrical converter and analog-to-digital converter thereof

An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for converting an optical signal into an electrical signal is disclosed. The ADC includes a detection module, a first P-type metal oxide semiconductor (PMOS) transistor, a first N-type metal oxide semiconductor (NMOS) transistor, a first switch unit, and an output module. The first PMOS transistor and the first NMOS transistor form an inverter. The first switch unit is disposed between the input terminal and the output terminal of the inverter and is turned on/off according to a first control signal. The output module is coupled to the output terminal of the inverter for counting the time that an input voltage is greater than a reference voltage and generating a digital signal.