Phase-stable, downconverting, microwave photonic link with analysis of balanced heterodyne detection intermodulation

A coherent downconverting microwave photonic link using balanced heterodyne detection of single-sideband modulated optical signals is analyzed and demonstrated. The intermodulation analysis shows that the second-order photodetector nonlinearity can be the limiting factor in the third-order intermodu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied optics (2004) 2018-07, Vol.57 (19), p.5273
Main Authors: Harrington, Calvin, Sharpe, Tia, Dahl, Jason, Barber, Zeb W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Background noise
Intermodulation
Microwave photonics
Noise levels
Optical communication
Shot noise
Single sideband transmission
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Summary:A coherent downconverting microwave photonic link using balanced heterodyne detection of single-sideband modulated optical signals is analyzed and demonstrated. The intermodulation analysis shows that the second-order photodetector nonlinearity can be the limiting factor in the third-order intermodulation spur performance. The link is designed to phase coherently downconvert 17 GHz of bandwidth in an extended K-band (23-45 GHz) to 1-18 GHz to match the capabilities of modern receivers. The application of the link is for a low-loss >20  μs analog buffer. Spur performance of 112.4  dB/Hz is demonstrated when background noise is limited by shot noise.
ISSN:1559-128X
2155-3165
DOI:10.1364/AO.57.005273