Driving system for Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulators in microwave photonics

Area of Science:

• Electronics and Electrical Engineering
• Signal Processing

Background:

• Electro-optic modulators require driving systems with high bandwidth and stable output power for undistorted modulation signals.
• Existing systems may lack the necessary response speed and power stability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and verify an electro-optic modulator driving system with a quick response and highly stable output power.
• To improve the stability and dynamic response of microwave signal generation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a driving system comprising a power supply module, microwave signal generation module, and a digital automatic gain control (AGC) module.
• Implementation of PID control principle within the AGC module for stable output power control.
• Hardware development and software algorithm integration for system verification.

Main Results:

• The automatic gain control (AGC) module achieved a bandwidth of 20 GHz.
• The system stabilized microwave signal output power at 10 dBm with fluctuations below ±1.5 dB.
• Stability was improved by 74.95% compared to existing instruments, with excellent dynamic response to 10 KHz input power changes.

Conclusions:

• The designed electro-optic modulator driving system effectively achieves high bandwidth and stable microwave signal output.
• The digital AGC module with PID control demonstrates superior stability and dynamic performance for driving systems.
• The system offers a significant improvement over existing instruments for modulation signal generation.