Photonic generation of frequency-quadrupling millimeter-wave signals using polarization property

Abstract

We propose and analyze a photonic method of generating frequency-quadrupling millimeter-wave signal. This scheme is realized by using a single LiNbO3 intensity modulator (IM) and a Faraday mirror based transverse-electrical and transverse-magnetic mode converter in a Sagnac loop without using an optical filter or an electrical microwave phase shifter. Making use of the intrinsic polarization dependence and the veloc- ity phenomenon of the IM, a special double sideband modulation is implemented, which ensures that the optical carrier can be effectively cancelled employing polarization manipulation. A linear polarizer is used as the polari- zation selection element to choose the second-order sidebands from the modulated light. After beating at the photodiode, a frequency-quadrupled millimeter-wave signal with >30 dB radio frequency spurious suppression ratio is generated. The imperfection of the devices is considered when estimating the system performance.©2015