Photonic microwave frequency measurement based on harmonic down-conversion by using a semiconductor optical amplifier

Xinhai Zou; Lin Qi; Shangjian Zhang; Renpu Li; Ke Di; Yu Liu

doi:10.1117/12.2573747

10 October 2020 Photonic microwave frequency measurement based on harmonic down-conversion by using a semiconductor optical amplifier

Xinhai Zou, Lin Qi, Shangjian Zhang, Renpu Li, Ke Di, Yu Liu

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 11555, Real-time Photonic Measurements, Data Management, and Processing V; 115550E (2020) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2573747
Event: SPIE/COS Photonics Asia, 2020, Online Only

Abstract

Microwave frequency measurement (MFM) is to estimate frequencies of intercepted microwave signals, which is critical to modern military and civil radio-frequency (RF) systems, such as wireless communications, electronic countermeasure (ECM), radar warning and electronic intelligence systems. In this paper, a photonic-assisted MFM method based on harmonic down-conversion with semiconductor optical amplifiers (SOAs) is proposed. Two optical harmonic intensifiers consisting of an electro-optic intensity modulator and a SOA are used to generate high-order optical harmonics based on cascaded four-wave mixing in the SOA, which has low-frequency and tunable spacing. It enables ultra-wide harmonic down-conversion of microwave signals under test in the electrical domain with low-frequency local oscillator (LO). The microwave frequency is therefore unequivocally determined by cross-referencing two pairs of harmonic down-converted tones within the LO frequency. It enables multi-tone frequency measurement and eliminates the trade-off between the measurement range and frequency-resolution. Moreover, it avoids the limitation of deadband by the cross-referenced frequency discrimination.

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Xinhai Zou, Lin Qi, Shangjian Zhang, Renpu Li, Ke Di, and Yu Liu "Photonic microwave frequency measurement based on harmonic down-conversion by using a semiconductor optical amplifier", Proc. SPIE 11555, Real-time Photonic Measurements, Data Management, and Processing V, 115550E (10 October 2020); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2573747

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