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A system-on-chip microwave photonic processor solves dynamic RF interference in real time with picosecond latency.
Weipeng Zhang1, Joshua C Lederman2, Thomas Ferreira de Lima3
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, NJ, USA. weipengz@princeton.edu.
Light, Science & Applications
|January 9, 2024
Summary
A novel photonic processor tackles radio-frequency interference by rapidly separating mixed signals in under 15 picoseconds. This breakthrough offers a significant speed advantage over electronic methods for wireless communication systems.
Area of Science:
- Integrated photonics
- Signal processing
- Wireless communication
Background:
- Advancing wireless technologies increase radio-frequency interference (RFI) risks, impacting critical systems like radar altimeters and 5G networks.
- Conventional digital signal processing (DSP) faces latency challenges with high-frequency, high-data-rate signals, limiting performance.
- Existing DSP solutions are nearing their clock frequency limits, offering minimal future speed improvements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a photonic processor for addressing dynamic interference using blind source separation (BSS).
- To demonstrate a system-on-chip solution with ultra-low latency for signal demixing.
- To enable real-time adaptability and online learning in photonic signal processing for practical applications.
Main Methods:
- Development of a system-on-chip photonic processor with a fully integrated analogue photonic signal pathway.
- Implementation of blind source separation (BSS) for demixing mixed signals.
- Integration with field-programmable gate array (FPGA) peripherals for real-time demixing weight updates (up to 305 Hz).
Main Results:
- Achieved signal demixing and recovery in under 15 picoseconds, exceeding electronic methods by over three orders of magnitude.
- Demonstrated experimental suppression of transmission errors and maintained signal-to-noise ratios in radar altimeter and mobile communication scenarios.
- Showcased real-time adaptability with online learning and weight adjustments for the photonic processor.
Conclusions:
- The photonic processor offers a viable, ultra-low-latency solution for mitigating dynamic radio-frequency interference in wireless systems.
- Integrated silicon photonics demonstrate practical operational capabilities for real-time signal processing.
- This technology paves the way for future advancements in high-speed, interference-resilient wireless communication.
