Photonics-assisted frequency-coded signal receiver with ultra low minimum detectable power.

Area of Science:

• Photonics
• Microwave Engineering
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Microwave signal reception often requires bulky and power-intensive systems.
• Detecting weak signals necessitates high sensitivity and wide bandwidth receivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel receiver for weak frequency-coded microwave signal reception.
• To leverage microring resonators and nonlinear optical-microwave interactions for enhanced reception.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a microring resonators array for signal reception.
• Employing nonlinear interaction between microwave signals and an optical pump for signal up-conversion.
• Directly integrating antenna-received microwave signals to reduce system footprint.

Main Results:

• Achieved a minimum detectable power of -93.2 dBm, suitable for weak signal detection.
• Demonstrated a high power conversion efficiency (η = 4.37×10^4).
• Obtained a wide conversion bandwidth of 2π×200 MHz and a 1-dB compressed dynamic range of 70.2 dB.

Conclusions:

• The proposed receiver offers a compact and power-efficient solution for wideband microwave signal reception.
• The technology shows significant promise for applications in microwave photonics radar.
• The demonstrated performance metrics highlight its competitiveness in advanced detection systems.