High Conversion Efficiency Photonic Microwave Mixer with Image Rejection Capability

J. Zhang; E. H W Chan; X. Wang; X. Feng; B. Guan

doi:10.1109/JPHOT.2016.2592327

High Conversion Efficiency Photonic Microwave Mixer with Image Rejection Capability

J. Zhang, E. H W Chan, X. Wang, X. Feng, B. Guan

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

53 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A new photonic microwave image rejection mixer that can achieve high conversion efficiency and has a wide bandwidth is presented. It is based on an integrated dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) with a 90° polarization rotator on one branch of the modulator. The two modulators connected in parallel are biased at the minimum transmission point to generate two sets of orthogonally polarized radio frequency (RF) and local oscillator (LO) modulation sidebands with the optical carrier being suppressed. Suppressing the optical carrier enables high RF and LO modulation sidebands to be detected by a photodiode without saturation. The LO modulation index is also designed to obtain a high conversion efficiency mixing operation. Experimental results demonstrate frequency downconversion with an image rejection function and a high conversion efficiency of >5 dB over a wide 3 to 20 GHz frequency range. A technique for compensating the effect of coupler amplitude and phase imbalance to obtain a high image rejection ratio is also experimentally demonstrated.

Original language	English
Article number	7514246
Number of pages	12
Journal	IEEE Photonics Journal
Volume	8
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOT.2016.2592327
Publication status	Published - 1 Aug 2016

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title = "High Conversion Efficiency Photonic Microwave Mixer with Image Rejection Capability",

abstract = "A new photonic microwave image rejection mixer that can achieve high conversion efficiency and has a wide bandwidth is presented. It is based on an integrated dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) with a 90° polarization rotator on one branch of the modulator. The two modulators connected in parallel are biased at the minimum transmission point to generate two sets of orthogonally polarized radio frequency (RF) and local oscillator (LO) modulation sidebands with the optical carrier being suppressed. Suppressing the optical carrier enables high RF and LO modulation sidebands to be detected by a photodiode without saturation. The LO modulation index is also designed to obtain a high conversion efficiency mixing operation. Experimental results demonstrate frequency downconversion with an image rejection function and a high conversion efficiency of >5 dB over a wide 3 to 20 GHz frequency range. A technique for compensating the effect of coupler amplitude and phase imbalance to obtain a high image rejection ratio is also experimentally demonstrated.",

keywords = "Bandwidth, Conversion efficiency, Efficiency, Microwave devices, Microwaves, Modulation, Modulators, Optical communication, Optical fiber communication, Optical signal processing, Photonics, Radio transmission, Radio waves, Signal processing, Analog optical signal processing, Dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulators, Fiber optics communication, High conversion efficiency, Image rejection ratios, Modulation side-bands, Polarized radio frequency, Radio frequency photonics, Light modulators",

author = "J. Zhang and Chan, {E. H W} and X. Wang and X. Feng and B. Guan",

year = "2016",

month = aug,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1109/JPHOT.2016.2592327",

language = "English",

volume = "8",

journal = "IEEE Photonics Journal",

issn = "1943-0655",

publisher = "IEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers",

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T1 - High Conversion Efficiency Photonic Microwave Mixer with Image Rejection Capability

AU - Zhang, J.

AU - Chan, E. H W

AU - Wang, X.

AU - Feng, X.

AU - Guan, B.

PY - 2016/8/1

Y1 - 2016/8/1

N2 - A new photonic microwave image rejection mixer that can achieve high conversion efficiency and has a wide bandwidth is presented. It is based on an integrated dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) with a 90° polarization rotator on one branch of the modulator. The two modulators connected in parallel are biased at the minimum transmission point to generate two sets of orthogonally polarized radio frequency (RF) and local oscillator (LO) modulation sidebands with the optical carrier being suppressed. Suppressing the optical carrier enables high RF and LO modulation sidebands to be detected by a photodiode without saturation. The LO modulation index is also designed to obtain a high conversion efficiency mixing operation. Experimental results demonstrate frequency downconversion with an image rejection function and a high conversion efficiency of >5 dB over a wide 3 to 20 GHz frequency range. A technique for compensating the effect of coupler amplitude and phase imbalance to obtain a high image rejection ratio is also experimentally demonstrated.

AB - A new photonic microwave image rejection mixer that can achieve high conversion efficiency and has a wide bandwidth is presented. It is based on an integrated dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) with a 90° polarization rotator on one branch of the modulator. The two modulators connected in parallel are biased at the minimum transmission point to generate two sets of orthogonally polarized radio frequency (RF) and local oscillator (LO) modulation sidebands with the optical carrier being suppressed. Suppressing the optical carrier enables high RF and LO modulation sidebands to be detected by a photodiode without saturation. The LO modulation index is also designed to obtain a high conversion efficiency mixing operation. Experimental results demonstrate frequency downconversion with an image rejection function and a high conversion efficiency of >5 dB over a wide 3 to 20 GHz frequency range. A technique for compensating the effect of coupler amplitude and phase imbalance to obtain a high image rejection ratio is also experimentally demonstrated.

KW - Bandwidth

KW - Conversion efficiency

KW - Efficiency

KW - Microwave devices

KW - Microwaves

KW - Modulation

KW - Modulators

KW - Optical communication

KW - Optical fiber communication

KW - Optical signal processing

KW - Photonics

KW - Radio transmission

KW - Radio waves

KW - Signal processing, Analog optical signal processing

KW - Dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulators

KW - Fiber optics communication

KW - High conversion efficiency

KW - Image rejection ratios

KW - Modulation side-bands

KW - Polarized radio frequency

KW - Radio frequency photonics, Light modulators

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DO - 10.1109/JPHOT.2016.2592327

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:84984892493

SN - 1943-0655

VL - 8

JO - IEEE Photonics Journal

JF - IEEE Photonics Journal

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ER -

High Conversion Efficiency Photonic Microwave Mixer with Image Rejection Capability

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