Photonic True-Time-Delay Beamformer for a Phased Array Antenna Receiver based on Self-Heterodyne Detection

In this paper, we propose a novel photonic true-time delay beamforming system for a phased array antenna receiver. The beamformer relies on simple tunable optical delay lines and also on self-heterodyne coherent detection. Each tunable delay line is implemented by a Mach-Zehnder delay interferometer...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of lightwave technology 2016-12, Vol.34 (23), p.5566-5575
Main Authors: Duarte, Vanessa C., Drummond, Miguel V., Nogueira, Rogerio N.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptive optics
Antennas
Array signal processing
Beamforming
Coherence
Delay lines
Delays
Erbium
Interferometers
Mach–Zehnder delay interferometer
Optical mixing
Optical modulation
Phased arrays
phased-array antenna
photonic true-time delay beamforming
Photonics
Radio frequency
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Summary:In this paper, we propose a novel photonic true-time delay beamforming system for a phased array antenna receiver. The beamformer relies on simple tunable optical delay lines and also on self-heterodyne coherent detection. Each tunable delay line is implemented by a Mach-Zehnder delay interferometer with tunable coupling ratio, which allows varying the delay from 0 up to the delay of the interferometer. Self-heterodyne coherent detection allows achieving maximum sensitivity inherent to coherent detection, and also laser phase noise cancellation, photonic RF phase shifting, and photonic RF frequency downconversion. The proposed system is analytically described and numerically validated. Numerical results show that, considering a beamsteering range of ±30°, the system is able to beamform the signals received by N antenna elements with negligible distortion, thereby proving to be very promising for high-end phased array antenna receivers operating at high RF frequencies.
ISSN:0733-8724
1558-2213
DOI:10.1109/JLT.2016.2620146