Photonic microwave phase shifter based on dual-sideband phase-control technique

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Microwave Engineering
• Optical Communications

Background:

• Conventional microwave phase shifters often face limitations in phase shift range and output signal power.
• Photonic approaches offer potential for enhanced performance in microwave signal processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present an all-optical photonic microwave phase shifter capable of continuous 0°-360° phase shifts.
• To improve output radio frequency (RF) signal power and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) compared to existing technologies.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing an all-optical approach to control microwave phase shifts.
• Implementing phase control by manipulating two RF phase-modulation sidebands while maintaining a fixed optical carrier phase.
• Employing a dual-sideband modulation technique.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a continuous phase shift range of -180° to +180°.
• Achieved this phase shift across a wide microwave frequency range (11-26.5 GHz).
• Observed a 14 dB increase in output RF signal power compared to conventional phase shifters, indicating improved SNR performance.

Conclusions:

• The proposed all-optical photonic microwave phase shifter offers significant advantages in phase shift capability and signal power.
• The dual-sideband approach is effective for enhancing RF signal power and SNR in photonic microwave systems.
• This technology shows promise for advanced microwave signal processing applications.