Ultra-wide bandwidth photonic microwave phase shifter with amplitude control function

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Optical Engineering
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Current radio frequency (RF) phase shifters face limitations in bandwidth and component cost.
• Achieving a continuous 0°-360° phase shift over a wide frequency range remains a significant technological challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a new technique for realizing continuous 0°-360° RF signal phase shift over a very wide bandwidth.
• To overcome the limitations of existing phase shifter technologies regarding bandwidth and component expense.

Main Methods:

• Utilizes single-sideband modulation combined with optical filtering to suppress one RF modulation sideband.
• Employs control of the optical carrier's phase to achieve RF signal phase shifting.
• Designed to operate without requiring expensive electrical or optical components.

Main Results:

• Demonstrates a continuous 0°-360° RF signal phase shift over a 2-40 GHz frequency range.
• Achieves flat amplitude and phase response performance with only ± 1 dB amplitude variation and ± 5° phase deviation.
• Confirms RF signal amplitude control functionality and wavelength-insensitive performance.

Conclusions:

• The proposed technique offers a cost-effective solution for wideband RF phase shifting.
• This method overcomes the bandwidth limitations of current phase shifter technologies.
• Experimental validation confirms the technique's effectiveness and performance across the 2-40 GHz range.