Photonic millimeter-wave frequency multiplication based on cascaded four-wave mixing and polarization pulling

Photonic-assisted microwave signal multiplication and modulation using a silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator

Photonic generation of microwave signal is obviously attractive for many prominent advantages, such as large bandwidth, low loss, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. Based on a single integrated silicon Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM), we propose and experimentally demonstrate a simple and compact photonic scheme to enable frequency-multiplicated microwave signal. Using the fabricated integrated MZM, we also demonstrate the feasibility of microwave amplitude-shift keying (ASK) modulation based on integrated photonic approach. In proof-of-concept experiments, 2-GHz frequency-doubled microwave signal is generated using a 1-GHz driving signal. 750-MHz/1-GHz frequency-tripled/quadrupled microwave signals are obtained with a driving signal of 250 MHz. In addition, a 50-Mb/s binary amplitude coded 1-GHz microwave signal is also successfully generated.

On-chip microwave signal generation based on a silicon microring modulator

A photonic-assisted microwave signal generator based on a silicon microring modulator is demonstrated. The microring cavity incorporates an embedded PN junction that enables a microwave signal to modulate the lightwave circling inside. The DC component of the modulated light is trapped in the cavity, while the high-order sideband components are able to exit the cavity and then generate microwave signals at new frequencies in a photodetector. In our proof-of-concept experiment, a 10 GHz microwave signal is converted to a 20 GHz signal in the optical domain with an electrical harmonic suppression ratio of 22 dB. An analytic model is also established to explain the operation mechanism, which agrees well with the measured data.

Photonic-assisted microwave frequency multiplier based on nonlinear polarization rotation

A photonic-assisted microwave frequency multiplier (MFM) based on the Kerr shutter is proposed and demonstrated. In this MFM, the nonlinear polarization rotation in the high nonlinear optical fiber is used for the first time to implement the light-controlled optical-carrier-suppressed modulation. The frequency-doubled microwave signal with the frequency up to 144 GHz is generated. The results of the experiment are in accordance with the theoretical prediction.

Photonic-assisted microwave frequency multiplication with a tunable multiplication factor

Photonic-assisted microwave frequency multiplication with a tunable multiplication factor (MF) based on an optical comb generator and an embedded single-passband microwave photonic filter (MPF) is proposed and demonstrated. The optical comb is generated using two cascaded modulators which are driven by a microwave reference signal. By applying the optical comb to a photodetector, a fundamental frequency corresponding to the comb spacing and its harmonics is generated. Thanks to the embedded single-passband MPF, only one harmonic is selected by the single-passband MPF. Thus, a single-frequency frequency-multiplied microwave signal is generated. In the proposed system, the embedded single-passband MPF is formed by using a sliced broadband optical source and a section of dispersion-compensating fiber (DCF). By tuning the central frequency of the passband at a frequency corresponding to that of a specific harmonic, a microwave signal at that specific frequency is generated. The proposed system is experimentally demonstrated. A frequency-multiplied microwave signal with an MF from 1 to 5 is generated. The phase noise and frequency tunability of the generated microwave signal are also investigated.