Millimeter wave switching for single carrier and aggregated filter bank multi-carrier signals in radio over fiber networks

Abstract

The 5G wireless communication systems promise to utilize the RF spectrum more efficiently and use advanced modulation and access techniques to provide ultra-high data rate speeds. Millimeter wave (MMW) signals and MMW based systems are playing a fundamental role in achieving these requirements. The modules and devices, proposed for these systems, are intended to use the robust capabilities of photonic technologies. In this paper, we consider MMW switching and wavelength conversion using a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) as a technique to support MMW transmission over fiber-based networks. In particular, we exploit the nonlinear special effects in SOA to generate a switched optical single-sideband signal that carries aggregated filter bank multicarrier (FBMC) 5G signals. First, we optimize the SOA for single FBMC band switching. Then, the switching of six FBMC aggregated signals is considered. The intention is to investigate the performance of such aggregated FBMC signals after applying either single or cascaded wavelength conversion. The results include analyzing the performance in terms of bit error rate, optical signal-to-noise ratio, and error vector magnitude.