New Perspectives in Microwave Photonics

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Optoelectronics and Optical Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 4858

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Automation, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China
Interests: microwave photonics; silicon photonics; integrated microwave photonic filter; photonic neural network
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Guest Editor
Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC), Kapeldreef 75, 3001 Leuven, Belgium
Interests: signal processing; silicon photonics; optical phased array; monolithic lidar

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Guest Editor
College of Optical Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
Interests: integrated optics; microwave photonics; optical communication

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microwave photonics, as a new interdisciplinary subject integrating microwave radio frequency technology and optoelectronics technology, benefits from being a ubiquitous and flexible microwave radio frequency technology as well as a broadband and high-speed photonic technology. Over the past 30 years, microwave photonics has attracted great interest from both the research community and the commercial sector, and it is set to have a bright future, with important applications in communication, aerospace, sensing, and other fields.

Prof. Dr. Li Liu
Dr. Huaqing Qiu
Dr. Yiwei Xie
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • integrated microwave photonic technology
  • microwave photonic radar
  • intelligent microwave photonics
  • microwave photonic measurement and sensing
  • programmable microwave photonic filter
  • microwave photonic processing technology
  • microwave photonic devices

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2144 KiB  
Communication
Generation of Wideband Signals Based on Continuous-Time Photonic Compression
by Zhen Zhou, Yukang Zhang and Hao Chi
Photonics 2024, 11(11), 1019; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11111019 - 29 Oct 2024
Viewed by 400
Abstract
A detailed study on continuous-time photonic compression (CTPC) for generating wideband signals is presented in this paper. CTPC enables the conversion of parallel analog waveforms from multiple channels into a time-compressed continuous-time waveform with increased bandwidth. We demonstrate a CTPC system with a [...] Read more.
A detailed study on continuous-time photonic compression (CTPC) for generating wideband signals is presented in this paper. CTPC enables the conversion of parallel analog waveforms from multiple channels into a time-compressed continuous-time waveform with increased bandwidth. We demonstrate a CTPC system with a compression factor of two in a proof-of-concept experiment. Subsequently, the origin of the distortion in the generated signals is investigated, and we proposed a method based on bandpass filtering to remove the periodic dips observed in the generated waveforms. In addition, a predistortion method is proposed to eliminate the distortion caused by the non-ideal spectral property of the multichannel system. Further simulation results are presented to show the potential of the proposed approach. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Microwave Photonics)
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9 pages, 3571 KiB  
Communication
High-Linearity Dual-Parallel Mach–Zehnder Modulators in Thin-Film Lithium Niobate
by Tao Yang, Lutong Cai, Zhanhua Huang and Lin Zhang
Photonics 2024, 11(10), 987; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11100987 - 20 Oct 2024
Viewed by 666
Abstract
Microwave photonic (MWP) systems are inseparable from conversions of microwave electrical signals into optical signals, and their performances highly depend on the linearity of electro-optic modulators. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) is expected to be an ideal platform for future microwave photonic systems due [...] Read more.
Microwave photonic (MWP) systems are inseparable from conversions of microwave electrical signals into optical signals, and their performances highly depend on the linearity of electro-optic modulators. Thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) is expected to be an ideal platform for future microwave photonic systems due to its compact size, low optical loss, linear electro-optic effect, and high bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a TFLN modulator with a low voltage–length product (VπL) of 1.97 V·cm and an ultra-high-linearity carrier-to-distortion ratio (CDR) of 112.33 dB, using a dual-parallel Mach–Zehnder interferometer configuration. It provides an effective approach to fully suppress the third-order intermodulation distortions (IMD3), leading to 76 dB improvement over a single Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM) in TFLN. The proposed TFLN modulator would enable a wide variety of applications in integrated MWP systems with large-scale integration, low power consumption, low optical loss, and high bandwidth. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Microwave Photonics)
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9 pages, 2255 KiB  
Article
A Microwave Photonic Channelized Receiver Based on Polarization-Division Multiplexing of Optical Signals
by Bo Chen, Jingyi Wang, Yankun Li, Jiajun Tan, Changhui Liang and Qunfeng Dong
Photonics 2024, 11(9), 834; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11090834 - 3 Sep 2024
Viewed by 668
Abstract
Aimed at the problems of optical frequency combs, such as their large number of comb lines, their high flatness, and their lack of ease in generating, as well as the fact that the channelization efficiency of the scheme based on optical frequency combs [...] Read more.
Aimed at the problems of optical frequency combs, such as their large number of comb lines, their high flatness, and their lack of ease in generating, as well as the fact that the channelization efficiency of the scheme based on optical frequency combs is low, we proposed a microwave photonic channelization receiver based on signal polarization multiplexing. Using two-line local optical frequency combs with different frequencies to demodulate the RF signal in the orthogonal polarization state, 16 sub-channels with a bandwidth of 1 GHz can be received simultaneously. The experimental results show that the image rejection ratio can reach 28 dB, and the third-order spurious-free dynamic range of the system can reach 96.8 dB·Hz2∕3. This scheme has the advantages of a large number of sub-channels and a high channelization efficiency; it has great application potential in broadband wireless communication, radar, and electronic warfare systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Microwave Photonics)
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12 pages, 1071 KiB  
Article
A Numerical Study of Microwave Frequency Comb Generation in a Semiconductor Laser Subject to Modulated Optical Injection and Optoelectronic Feedback
by Chenpeng Xue, Wei Chen, Beibei Zhu, Zuxing Zhang and Yanhua Hong
Photonics 2024, 11(8), 741; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11080741 - 8 Aug 2024
Viewed by 722
Abstract
This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation on the generation of a microwave frequency comb (MFC) using a semiconductor laser subjected to periodic-modulated optical injection. To enhance performance, optoelectronic feedback is incorporated through a dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator. The results show that the first [...] Read more.
This study presents a comprehensive numerical investigation on the generation of a microwave frequency comb (MFC) using a semiconductor laser subjected to periodic-modulated optical injection. To enhance performance, optoelectronic feedback is incorporated through a dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator. The results show that the first optoelectronic feedback loop, with a delay time inversely proportional to the modulation frequency, can optimize MFC generation through a mode-locking effect and the second optoelectronic feedback loop with a multiple delay time of the first one can further enhance the performance of the MFC. The comb linewidth appears to decrease with the increase in the second-loop delay time in the power function. These results are consistent with experimental observations reported in the literature. We also explore the impact of the feedback index on comb contrast, the statistical characteristics of the central 128 lines within the MFC, and side peak suppression. The simulation results demonstrate the presence of an optimal feedback index. The study also reveals that linewidth reduction, through increasing the feedback index and delay time, comes at the cost of declining side peak suppression. These findings collectively contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors influencing MFC generation and pave the way for the design and optimization of high-performance MFC systems for various applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Microwave Photonics)
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8 pages, 1799 KiB  
Article
Thermo-Optic Switch with High Tuning Efficiency Based on Nanobeam Cavity and Hydrogen-Doped Indium Oxide Microheater
by Weiyu Tong, Shangjing Li, Jiahui Zhang, Jianji Dong, Bin Hu and Xinliang Zhang
Photonics 2024, 11(8), 738; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11080738 - 7 Aug 2024
Viewed by 879
Abstract
We propose and experimentally demonstrate an efficient on-chip thermo-optic (TO) switch based on a photonic crystal nanobeam cavity (PCNC) and a hydrogen-doped indium oxide (IHO) microheater. The small mode volume of the PCNC and the close-range heating through the transparent conductive oxide IHO [...] Read more.
We propose and experimentally demonstrate an efficient on-chip thermo-optic (TO) switch based on a photonic crystal nanobeam cavity (PCNC) and a hydrogen-doped indium oxide (IHO) microheater. The small mode volume of the PCNC and the close-range heating through the transparent conductive oxide IHO greatly enhance the coupling between the thermal field and the optical field, increasing the TO tuning efficiency. The experimental results show that the TO tuning efficiency can reach 1.326 nm/mW. And the rise time and fall time are measured to be 3.90 and 2.65 μs, respectively. In addition, compared with the conventional metal microheater, the measured extinction ratios of the switches are close (25.8 dB and 27.6 dB, respectively), indicating that the IHO microheater does not introduce obvious insertion loss. Our demonstration showcases the immense potential of this TO switch as a unit device for on-chip large-scale integrated arrays. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Microwave Photonics)
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13 pages, 4603 KiB  
Article
Microscopic Temperature Sensor Based on End-Face Fiber-Optic Fabry–Perot Interferometer
by Maria Chesnokova, Danil Nurmukhametov, Roman Ponomarev, Timur Agliullin, Artem Kuznetsov, Airat Sakhabutdinov, Oleg Morozov and Roman Makarov
Photonics 2024, 11(8), 712; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11080712 - 30 Jul 2024
Viewed by 887
Abstract
This work proposes a simple and affordable technology for the manufacturing of a miniature end-face fiber-optic temperature sensor based on a Fabry–Perot interferometer formed from a transparent UV-curable resin. For the manufactured working prototype of the sensor, the sensitivity and operating temperature range [...] Read more.
This work proposes a simple and affordable technology for the manufacturing of a miniature end-face fiber-optic temperature sensor based on a Fabry–Perot interferometer formed from a transparent UV-curable resin. For the manufactured working prototype of the sensor, the sensitivity and operating temperature range were determined, and the methods for their enhancement were proposed. Due to its small size, the proposed type of sensor can be used in high-precision and minimally invasive temperature measurements, in biology for microscale sample monitoring, and in medicine during operations using high-power lasers. A microwave photonic method is proposed that enables the interrogation of the sensor without using an optical spectrum analyzer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Perspectives in Microwave Photonics)
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