Abstract
In this paper, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel wideband on-chip photonic modulation transformer for phase-modulated microwave photonic links. The proposed device is able to transform phase-modulated optical signals into intensity-modulated versions (or vice versa) with nearly zero conversion of laser phase noise to intensity noise. It is constructed using waveguide-based ring resonators, which features simple architecture, stable operation, and easy reconfigurability. Beyond the stand-alone functionality, the proposed device can also be integrated with other functional building blocks of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to create on-chip complex microwave photonic signal processors. As an application example, a PIC consisting of two such modulation transformers and a notch filter has been designed and realized in TriPleX(TM) waveguide technology. The realized device uses a 2 × 2 splitting circuit and 3 ring resonators with a free spectral range of 25 GHz, which are all equipped with continuous tuning elements. The device can perform phase-to-intensity modulation transform and carrier suppression simultaneously, which enables high-performance phase-modulated microwave photonics links (PM-MPLs). Associated with the bias-free and low-complexity advantages of the phase modulators, a single-fiber-span PM-MPL with a RF bandwidth of 12 GHz (3 dB-suppression band 6 to 18 GHz) has been demonstrated comprising the proposed PIC, where the achieved spurious-free dynamic range performance is comparable to that of Class-AB MPLs using low-biased Mach-Zehnder modulators.
Highlights
Microwave/RF signal processing based on integrated microwave photonic (MWP) signal processors has been evolving with remarkable pace in the past decade [1,2,3]
Owing to the use of the same photonic integrated circuits (PICs) building blocks, a RR-based reconfigurable notch filter can be added before the 3-dB coupler to create a system architecture as shown in Fig. 3(c), which we propose as a novel implementation of a phase-modulated microwave photonics links (PM-MPLs)
A novel RR-based modulation transformer is proposed and experimental demonstrated, Using TriPleXTM waveguide technology, a PIC consisting of two such modulation transformers and a notch filter has been fabricated, which is constructed using a 2 × 2 splitting circuit and 3 RRs with a free spectral range of 25 GHz
Summary
Microwave/RF signal processing based on integrated microwave photonic (MWP) signal processors has been evolving with remarkable pace in the past decade [1,2,3]. Beside the common advantages of optical devices such as large instantaneous bandwidth, low loss and power consumption, small size and weight, effective reduction on electromagnetic interference, and system reconfigurability, the on-chip integration approach features high robustness and compactness, and large potentials of significant system cost reduction This superiority means that on-chip MWP signal processors have strong potentials for large-scale proliferation and industrialization, and promises that they will grow fast into a strong market competitor for conventional microwave/RF electronics in the near future. The conclusions and discussions are formulated at the end of the paper
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