Numerical investigation on photonic microwave generation by a sole excited-state emitting quantum dot laser with optical injection and optical feedback

Based on three-level exciton model,the enhanced photonic microwave signal generation by using a sole excited-state(ES)emitting quantum dot(QD)laser under both optical injection and optical feedback is numerically studied.Within the range of period-one(P1)dynamics caused by the optical injection,the variations of microwave frequency and microwave intensity with the parameters of frequency detuning and injection strength are demonstrated.It is found that the microwave frequency can be continuously tuned by adjusting the injection parameters,and the microwave intensity can be enhanced by changing the injection strength.Moreover,considering that the generated microwave has a wide linewidth,an optical feedback loop is further employed to compress the linewidth,and the effect of feedback parameters on the linewidth is investigated.It is found that with the increase of feedback strength or delay time,the linewidth is evidently decreased due to the locking effect.However,for the relatively large feedback strength or delay time,the linewidth compression effect becomes worse due to the gradually destroyed P1 dynamics.Besides,through optimizing the feedback parameters,the linewidth can be reduced by up to more than one order of magnitude for different microwave frequencies.

Recent progress of parameter-adjustable high-power photonic microwave generation based on wide-bandgap photoconductive semiconductors

Radio frequency/microwave-directed energy sources using wide bandgap SiC photoconductive semiconductors have attracted much attention due to their unique advantages of high-power output and multi-parameter adjustable ability.Over the past several years,benefitting from the sustainable innovations in laser technology and the significant progress in materials technology,megawatt-class output power electrical pulses with a flexible frequency in the P and L microwave wavebands have been achieved by photoconductive semiconductor devices.Here,we mainly summarize and review the recent progress of the high-power photonic microwave generation based on the SiC photoconductive semiconductor devices in the linear modulation mode,including the mechanism,system architecture,critical technology,and experimental demonstration of the proposed high-power photonic microwave sources.The outlooks and challenges for the future of multi-channel power synthesis development of higher power photonic microwave using wide bandgap photoconductors are also discussed.

Photonic generation of RF and microwave signal with relative frequency instability of 10^(-15)

We demonstrate the ultra-stable frequency sources aiming to improve the short-time instability of primary frequency standards.These sources are realized by using photonic generation approach,and composed of ultra-stable lasers,optical-frequency-combs,optical signal detecting parts,and synthesizers.Preliminary evaluation shows that the sources produce fixed-frequency at 9.54(/9.63)GHz,10 MHz,and tunable-frequency around 9.192 GHz with relative frequency instability of 10^(-15) for short terms.

Photonic microwave true time delays for phased array antennas using a 49 GHz FSR integrated optical micro-comb source[Invited]

We demonstrate significantly improved performance of a microwave true time delay line based on an integrated optical frequency comb source. The broadband micro-comb(over 100 nm wide) features a record low free spectral range(FSR) of 49 GHz, resulting in an unprecedented record high channel number(81 over the C band)—the highest number of channels for an integrated comb source used for microwave signal processing. We theoretically analyze the performance of a phased array antenna and show that this large channel count results in a high angular resolution and wide beam-steering tunable range. This demonstrates the feasibility of our approach as a competitive solution toward implementing integrated photonic true time delays in radar and communications systems.

All-fiber-based photonic microwave generation with 10^(-15) frequency instability

We demonstrate an all-fiber-based photonic microwave generation with 10^(-15) frequency instability.The system consists of an ultra-stable laser by optical fiber delay line,an all-fiber-based"figure-of-nine"optical frequency comb,a high signal-tonoise ratio photonic detection unit,and a microwave frequency synthesizer.The whole optical links are made from optical fiber and optical fiber components,which renders the whole system compactness,reliability,and robustness with respect to environmental influences.Frequency instabilities of 3.5×10^(-15) at 100 s for 6.834 GHz signal and 4.3×10^(-15) at 100 s for9.192 GHz signal were achieved.

Microwave Photonics for Modern Radar Systems

The emerging new concepts and technologies based on microwave photonics have led to an ever-increasing interest in developing innovative radar systems with a net gain in functionality,bandwidth /resolution,size,mass,complexity and cost when compared with the traditional implementations. This paper describes the techniques developed in the last few years in microwave photonics that might revolutionize the way to design multifunction radar systems,with an emphasis on the recent advances in optoelectronic oscillators( OEOs),arbitrary waveform generation,photonic mixing,phase coding,filtering,beamforming,analog-to-digital conversion,and stable radio-frequency signal transfer. Challenges in implementation of these components and subsystems for meeting the technique requirements of the multifunction radar applications are discussed.

Microwave photonic filter with a continuously tunable central frequency using an SOI high-Q microdisk resonator

Utilizing a high-Q microdisk resonator （MDR） on a single silicon-on-insulator （SOI） chip, a compact microwave photonic filter （MPF） with a continuously tunable central frequency is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Assisted by the optical single side-band （OSSB） modulation, the optical frequency response of the MDR is mapped to the microwave frequency response to form an MPF with a continuously tunable central frequency and a narrow 3-dB bandwidth. In the experiment, using an MDR with a compact size of 20×20 μm^2 and a high Q factor of 1.07×10^5, we obtain a compact MPF with a high rejection ratio of about 40 dB, a 3-dB bandwidth of about 2 GHz, and a frequency tuning range larger than 12 GHz. Our approach may allow the implementation of very compact, low-cost, low-consumption, and integrated notch MPF in a silicon chip.

Tunable Single-Passband Microwave Photonic Filter Based on Sagnac Loop and Fabry-Perot Laser Diode

A tunable single-passband microwave photonic filter is proposed and demonstrated, based on a laser diode (LD) array with multiple optical carriers and a Fabry-Perot (F-P) laser diode. Multiple optical carriers in conjunction with the F-P LD will realize a filter with multiple passbands. By adjusting the wavelengths of the multiple optical carriers, multiple passbands are merged into a single passband with a broadened bandwidth. By varying the number of the optical carrier, the bandwidth can be adjusted. The central frequency can be tuned by adjusting the wavelength of the multiple optical carriers simultaneously. A single-passband filter implemented by two optical carriers is experimentally demonstrated.

Advance in Microwave Photonics

Microwave photonics is a combination of microwave and photonics in concepts,devices and systems.Its typical research involves optical generation,processing and conversion of microwave signals,as well as distribution and transmission of microwave signals on optical links.Research achievements of microwave photonics have promoted the development of some new technologies,including Radio over Fiber (RoF) communication,subcarrier multiplexing and fiber transmission in Cable Television (CATV) system,optical controlled beam forming network with phased array radar and measurement technologies in microwave frequency domain.

Multifunctional mixed analog/digital signal processor based on integrated photonics

Photonic signal processing offers a versatile and promising toolkit for contemporary scenarios ranging from digital optical communication to analog microwave operation.Compared to its electronic counterpart,it eliminates inherent bandwidth limitations and meanwhile exhibits the potential to provide unparalleled scalability and flexibility,particularly through integrated photonics.However,by far the on-chip solutions for optical signal processing are often tailored to specific tasks,which lacks versatility across diverse applications.Here,we propose a streamlined chip-level signal processing architecture that integrates different active and passive building blocks in silicon-on-insulator(SOI)platform with a compact and efficient manner.Comprehensive and in-depth analyses for the architecture are conducted at levels of device,system,and application.Accompanied by appropriate configuring schemes,the photonic circuitry supports loading and processing both analog and digital signals simultaneously.Three distinct tasks are facilitated with one single chip across several mainstream fields,spanning optical computing,microwave photonics,and optical communications.Notably,it has demonstrated competitive performance in functions like image processing,spectrum filtering,and electro-optical bandwidth equalization.Boasting high universality and a compact form factor,the proposed architecture is poised to be instrumental for next-generation functional fusion systems.

High-frequency characterization of high-speed modulators and photodetectors in a link with low-speed photonic sampling

We propose a low-speed photonic sampling for independent high-frequency characterization of a Mach–Zehnder modulator(MZM)and a photodetector(PD)in an optical link.A low-speed mode-locked laser diode(MLLD)provides an ultrawideband optical stimulus with scalable frequency range,working as the photonic sampling source of the link.The uneven spectrum lines of the MLLD are firstly characterized with symmetric modulation within the interesting frequency range.Then,the electro-optic modulated signals are down-converted to the first Nyquist frequency range,yielding the self-referenced extraction of modulation depth and half-wave voltage of the MZM without correcting the responsivity fluctuation of the PD in the link.Finally,the frequency responsivity of the PD is self-referenced measured under null modulation of the MZM.As frequency responses of the MZM and the PD can be independently obtained,our method allows self-referenced high-frequency measurement for a high-speed optical link.In the proof-of-concept experiment,a 96.9 MS/s MLLD is used for measuring a MZM and a PD within the frequency range up to 50 GHz.The consistency between our method and the conventional method verifies that the ultra-wideband and self-referenced high-frequency characterization of high-speed MZMs and PDs.

Photonic radio frequency channelizers based on Kerr optical micro-combs

We review recent work on broadband RF channelizers based on integrated optical frequency Kerr micro-combs combined with passive micro-ring resonator filters,with microcombs having channel spacings of 200 and 49 GHz.This approach to realizing RF channelizers offers reduced complexity,size,and potential cost for a wide range of applications to microwave signal detection.

High-power InAlAs/InGaAs Schottky barrier photodiodes for analog microwave signal transmission

The design,manufacturing and DC and microwave characterization of high-power Schottky barrier In Al As/In Ga As back-illuminated mesa structure photodiodes are presented.The photodiodes with 10 and 15μm mesa diameters operate at≥40 and 28 GHz,respectively,have the output RF power as high as 58 m W at a frequency of 20 GHz,the DC responsivity of up to 1.08 A/W depending on the absorbing layer thickness,and a photodiode dark current as low as 0.04 n A.We show that these photodiodes provide an advantage in the amplitude-to-phase conversion factor which makes them suitable for use in highspeed analog transmission lines with stringent requirements for phase noise.

Diversity of photonic differentiators based on flexible demodulation of phase signals

We theoretically propose a multifunctional photonic differentiation （DIFF） scheme based on phase demodulation using two cascaded linear filters. The photonic D1FF has a diversity of output forms, such as the 1 st order intensity DIFF, the 1 st order field DIFF and its inversion, and the 2nd-order field DIFF, depending on the relative shift between the optical carrier and the filter＇s resonant notches. As a proof, we also experimentally demonstrate the DIFF diversity using a phase modulator and two delay interferometers （Dis）. The calculated average deviation is less than 7% for all DIFF waveforms. Our schemes show the advantages of flexible DIFF functions and forms, which may have different optical applications. For example, high order field differentiators can be used to generate complex temporal waveforms, and intensity differentiators are useful for the ultra-wideband pulse generation.

Wireless Communication Based on Microwave Photon-Level Detection with Superconducting Devices:Achievable Rate Prediction

Future wireless communication systemembraces physical-layer signal detection with highsensitivity, especially in the microwave photon level.Currently, the receiver primarily adopts the signal detection based on semi-conductor devices for signal detection, while this paper introduces high-sensitivityphoton-level microwave detection based on superconducting structure. We first overview existing works onthe photon-level communication in the optical spectrum as well as the microwave photon-level sensingbased on superconducting structure in both theoreticaland experimental perspectives, including microwavedetection circuit model based on Josephson junction,microwave photon counter based on Josephson junction, and two reconstruction approaches under background noise. In addition, we characterize channelmodeling based on two different microwave photondetection approaches, including the absorption barrierand the dual-path Handury Brown-Twiss (HBT) experiments, and predict the corresponding achievablerates. According to the performance prediction, it isseen that the microwave photon-level signal detectioncan increase the receiver sensitivity compared withthe state-of-the-art standardized communication system with waveform signal reception, with gain over 10dB.

Switchable down-,up-and dual-chirped microwave waveform generation with improved time–bandwidth product based on polarization modulation and phase encoding

A switchable down-,up-and dual-chirped microwave waveform generation technique with improved time–bandwidth product(TBWP)is proposed and demonstrated based on a dual-polarization dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder modulator(DPDPMZM)cascaded with a polarization modulator(Pol M).By properly controlling the phase shifts of the radio frequency signals applied to the DP-DPMZM,switchable down-,up-and dual-chirped waveforms with simultaneous frequency and bandwidth doubling can be generated.To enlarge the TBWP further,splitting parabolic signal and phase-encoding splitting parabolic signal are used to drive the Pol M for the enhancement of bandwidth and time duration.Numerical results demonstrate the generation of down-,up-and dual-chirped microwave waveform with TBWP of 8,160 and 10240.The proposed method may find applications in future multifunction radar systems due to the high performance and flexibility.

Modulation of energy spectrum and control of coherent microwave transmission at single-photon level by longitudinal field in a superconducting quantum circuit

We study the effect of longitudinally applied field modulation on a two-level system using superconducting quantum circuits. The presence of the modulation results in additional transitions and changes the magnitude of the resonance peak in the energy spectrum of the qubit. In particular, when the amplitude ,λz and the frequency COl of the modulation field meet certain conditions, the resonance peak of the qubit disappears. Using this effect, we further demonstrate that the longitudinal field modulation of the Xmon qubit coupled to a one-dimensional transmission line could be used to dynamically control the transmission of single-photon level coherent resonance microwave.

Temperature-insensitive fiber-optic refractive index sensor based on cascaded in-line interferometer and microwave photonics interrogation system

A compact and high-resolution fiber-optic refractive index(RI)sensor based on a microwave photonic filter(MPF)is proposed and experimentally validated.The sensing head utilizes a cascaded in-line interferometer fabricated by an input single-mode fiber(SMF)tapered fusion with no-core fiber-thin-core fiber(TCF)-SMF.The surrounding RI(SRI)can be demodulated by tracing the passband’s central frequency of the MPF,which is constructed by the cascaded in-line interferometer,electro-optic modulator,and a section of dispersion compensation fiber.The sensitivity of the sensor is tailorable through the use of different lengths of TCF.Experimental results reveal that with a 30 mm length of TCF,the sensor achieves a maximum theoretical sensitivity and resolution of-1.403 GHz∕refractive index unit eRIUT and 1.425×10^(-7) RIU,respectively,which is at least 6.3 times higher than what has been reported previously.Furthermore,the sensor exhibits temperature-insensitive characteristics within the range of 25℃-75℃,with a temperatureinduced frequency change of only±1.5 MHz.This value is significantly lower than the frequency change induced by changes in the SRI.The proposed MPF-based cascaded in-line interferometer RI sensor possesses benefits such as easy manufacture,low cost,high resolution,and temperature insensitivity.

Versatile quantum microwave photonic signal processing platform based on coincidence window selection technique

Quantum microwave photonics(QMWP)is an innovative approach that combines energy-time entangled biphoton sources as the optical carrier with time-correlated single-photon detection for highspeed radio frequency(RF)signal recovery.This groundbreaking method offers unique advantages,such as nonlocal RF signal encoding and robust resistance to dispersion-induced frequency fading.We explore the versatility of processing the quantum microwave photonic signal by utilizing coincidence window selection on the biphoton coincidence distribution.The demonstration includes finely tunable RF phase shifting,flexible multitap transversal filtering(with up to 14 taps),and photonically implemented RF mixing,leveraging the nonlocal RF mapping characteristic of QMWP.These accomplishments significantly enhance the capability of microwave photonic systems in processing ultraweak signals,opening up new possibilities for various applications.

Microwave photonic sideband selector based on thin-film lithium niobate platform

We propose and demonstrate an integrated microwave photonic sideband selector based on the thin-film lithium niobate(TFLN)platform by integrating an electro-optic Mach-Zehnder modulator(MZM)and a thermo-optic tunable flat-top microring filter.The sideband selector has two functions:electro-optic modulation of wideband RF signal and sideband selection.The microwave photonic sideband selector supports processing RF signals up to 40 GHz,with undesired sidebands effectively suppressed by more than 25 d B.The demonstrated device shows great potential for TFLN integrated technology in microwave photonic applications,such as mixing and frequency measurement.