Synergistic antenna-modulator integration for a monolithic photonic RF receiver

Integrated radio-frequency (RF) photonics plays a pivotal role in wireless communications, sensing, and radar applications. However, the bulky feature of essential RF components still constrains practical deployments in covert, conformal, and space-limited applications. As a promising solution through synergistic integration of both RF and photonics, we demonstrate a photonic RF receiver chip integrating a bow-tie antenna and a microring modulator on thin-film lithium niobate platform. The chip leverages a dual-resonance enhancement mechanism, combining RF and optical resonances, to significantly boost the RF-to-optical conversion efficiency. A record-high figure of merit of 3.88 W^-1/2 was achieved within a compact footprint of 2 × 1.7 mm². Following full packaging, the receiver enabled centimeter-level radar ranging accuracy, 3.2 Gbps wireless communication capacity, and real-time high-definition video transmission in moving scenarios. This work paves a viable way toward covert, conformal, and miniature photonic RF frontends for unmanned aerial vehicles, high-speed trains, and electronic warfare systems.