Filtering effect of SiO₂ optical waveguide ring resonator applied to optoelectronic oscillator

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Optical Engineering
• Microwave Engineering
• Materials Science

Background:

• Single-mode oscillation is critical for practical optoelectronic oscillators (OEOs).
• Traditional OEOs using long fiber-optic delay lines struggle with single-mode oscillation due to RF filter limitations.
• High-Q resonators are needed for effective mode selection in OEOs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the feasibility of using a silicon dioxide optical waveguide ring resonator (SiO2 OWRR) for single-mode oscillation in OEOs.
• To demonstrate the effectiveness of SiO2 OWRR as a mode-selecting filter in a minimum-loop OEO.
• To evaluate the performance improvements in OEOs employing SiO2 OWRR.

Main Methods:

• Construction of OEOs utilizing a minimum loop configuration and a SiO2 OWRR.
• MATLAB simulations to analyze OEO oscillation characteristics and SiO2 OWRR transmission properties.
• Experimental comparison of oscillation modes between a standard minimum-loop OEO and an OEO incorporating SiO2 OWRR.

Main Results:

• The SiO2 OWRR effectively functions as a filter in the minimum-loop OEO, enabling single-mode oscillation.
• Achieved oscillation mode spacings of 40.32 MHz and 2.137 GHz, demonstrating the resonator's filtering capability.
• Observed improvements in side mode suppression ratio and phase noise for the OEO with SiO2 OWRR.

Conclusions:

• The SiO2 OWRR is a viable component for achieving single-mode oscillation in OEOs.
• The integration of SiO2 OWRR leads to enhanced performance of microwave signals generated by OEOs.
• This approach offers a promising solution for high-performance OEO applications.