A Hybrid RF/FSO Transmission System Based on a Shared Transmitter

Area of Science:

• Communications Engineering
• Optical Communications
• Wireless Communications

Background:

• Free-space optical (FSO) communication offers high bandwidth but is susceptible to environmental disruptions.
• Radio frequency (RF) communication provides robustness but typically has lower bandwidth.
• Integrating RF and FSO links can leverage the strengths of both technologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a novel hybrid integrated system for RF and FSO communications.
• To enable shared transmitter and transmission link utilization between RF and FSO.
• To enhance communication system adaptability, stability, and reduce complexity.

Main Methods:

• Design of a hybrid transmission system integrating RF and FSO links.
• Implementation of a shared transmitter and transmission path for both communication types.
• Experimental validation of the integrated system's performance.

Main Results:

• The hybrid RF/FSO system achieved 50 Gbit/s transmission, meeting the 2.4 × 10^-2 soft-decision forward error correction (SD-FEC) threshold.
• The FSO component individually supported 100 GBaud Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) and 32 GBaud 16-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (16QAM) transmissions.
• Demonstrated improved system stability and reduced complexity through shared components.

Conclusions:

• The proposed hybrid RF/FSO system effectively combines the advantages of both RF and FSO communication technologies.
• This integrated design provides a robust solution for high-speed, broadband communication in diverse environmental conditions.
• The system lays the groundwork for future advancements in all-environment communication networks.