Microwave photonics broadband unambiguous frequency measurement based on a Sagnac loop and a linear optical filter

We propose an instantaneous frequency measurement (IFM) scheme featured with unambiguous measurement utilizing a Sagnac loop with an embedded bi-directional phase modulator and an optical filter with a linear frequency response. The frequency of the microwave signal to be measured is instantaneously estimated by calculating an amplitude comparison function (ACF) of photocurrents from the upper and lower branches of the proposed structure. Compared to previous IFM schemes, the ACF in the proposed scheme is monotonic, by which the frequency of the unknown microwave signal can be uniquely confirmed without ambiguity. Only one laser source and a phase modulator are needed, which simplifies the measurement system. In addition, the monotonous ACF can guarantee measurement accuracy in a wide range, from low frequency to high frequency. The IFM system has robustness in optical and RF power shifts. Simulation results show that frequency measurement over the range of 30 GHz with a measurement error of 0.4 GHz is achieved.