FREQUENCY UP-CONVERSION SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR THE SAME

• US 20110170879A1
• Filed: 04/15/2010
• Published: 07/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Chen, Jyehong, Hsu, Dar Zu, Jiang, Wen Jr, Lin, Chun Ting, Chi, Sien
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,415 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/201
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/212 Mach-Zehnder type
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/2255 controlled by a high-frequency electromagnetic component in an electric waveguide structure
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/2257 the optical waveguides being made of semiconducting material

Abstract

A frequency up-conversion system includes an optical splitter, an optical modulator, an optical phase-shifter, and an optical coupler. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical splitter is configured to split an optical wave into a first optical wave and a second optical wave, the optical modulator is configured to modulate the first optical wave to form a modulation wave, the optical phase-shifter is configured to shift the phase of the second optical wave by a predetermined phase to form a shifting wave, and the optical coupler is configured to couple the modulation wave and the shifting wave. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the optical modulator and the optical phase-shifter are connected in a parallel manner.

Claims

1. A frequency up-conversion system, comprising:

an optical splitter configured to split an input wave into a first optical wave and a second optical wave;

an optical modulator configured to modulate the first optical wave based on an electrical wave to generate a modulation wave;

an optical phase shifter configured to shift the second optical wave by a predetermined phase to generate a shifting wave; and

an optical coupler configured to couple the modulation wave and the shifting wave.

2. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 1, wherein the optical modulator comprises:

an optical waveguide; and

an electrode positioned on the optical waveguide.

3. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 1, wherein the optical phase shifter comprises:

an optical waveguide; and

an electrode positioned on the optical waveguide.

4. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 1, further comprising a laser source coupled to the optical splitter, the laser source being configured to generate the input wave.

5. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 1, further comprising:

a mixer coupled to the optical modulator; and

an electrical wave generator coupled to the mixer.

6. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 5, wherein the electrical wave generator is configured to generate an electrical input wave, the optical coupler is configured to generate an optical output wave, and the frequency of the optical output wave is double the frequency of the electrical input wave.

7. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 1, further comprising an electrical wave generator coupled to the optical modulator.

8. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 7, further comprising:

an optical transmitter coupled to the optical splitter; and

an optical interleaver coupled to an output terminal of the optical coupler.

9. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 8, wherein the optical transmitter is configured to generate the input wave with a spectrum including an optical carrier and an RF signal subcarrier, the frequency of the optical carrier is f₀, and the frequency of the RF signal subcarrier is f₀+f_RF.

10. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 9, wherein the electrical wave generator is configured to generate an electrical input wave, the optical coupler is configured to generate an optical output wave, and the frequency of the optical output wave is five times the frequency of the electrical input wave.

11. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 8, wherein the optical transmitter is configured to generate the input wave with a spectrum including an optical carrier and an RF signal subcarrier, the frequency of the optical carrier is f₀−

f_RF, and the frequency of the RF signal subcarrier is f₀+f_RF.

12. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 11, wherein the electrical wave generator is configured to generate an electrical input wave, the optical coupler is configured to generate an optical output wave, and the frequency of the optical output wave is six times the frequency of the electrical input wave.

13. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 1, wherein the optical modulator is biased at 2Vπ

.

14. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 1, wherein the optical modulator and the optical phase shifter are connected in parallel.

15. A frequency up-conversion system, including a first and a second up-conversion apparatuses, each up-conversion apparatus comprising:

an optical splitter configured to split an input wave into a first optical wave and a second optical wave;

an optical modulator configured to modulate the first optical wave based on an electrical wave to generate a modulation wave;

an optical phase shifter configured to shift the second optical wave by a predetermined phase to generate a shifting wave; and

an optical coupler configured to couple the modulation wave and the shifting wave to generate an optical output wave;

wherein the optical splitter of the second up-conversion apparatus is connected to the optical coupler of the first up-conversion apparatus.

16. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 15, wherein the optical modulator comprises:

an optical waveguide; and

an electrode positioned on the optical waveguide.

17. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 15, wherein the optical phase shifter comprises:

an optical waveguide; and

an electrode positioned on the optical waveguide.

18. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 15, further comprising a laser source coupled to the optical splitter, the laser source being configured to generate the input wave.

19. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 15, further comprising:

a mixer coupled to the optical modulator of the first up-conversion apparatus; and

an electrical wave generator coupled to the mixer.

20. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 19, wherein the electrical wave generator is configured to generate an electrical input wave, and the frequency of the optical output wave is the integral time of the frequency of the electrical input wave.

21. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 15, further comprising an electrical wave generator coupled to the optical modulator of the second up-conversion apparatus.

22. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 15, wherein the optical modulator is biased at 2 Vπ

.

23. The frequency up-conversion system of claim 15, wherein the optical modulator and the optical phase shifter are connected in parallel.

24. A frequency up-conversion method, comprising the steps of:

providing an input wave;

splitting the input wave into a first optical wave and a second optical wave;

modulating the first optical wave based on an electrical wave to generate a modulation wave;

shifting the second optical wave by a predetermined phase to generate a shifting wave, wherein the phase of the shifting wave is opposite to the phase of the modulation wave; and

coupling the modulation wave and the shifting wave to generate an optical output wave.

25. The frequency up-conversion method of claim 24, wherein the frequency of the optical output wave is the integral time of the frequency of the optical input wave.

26. The frequency up-conversion method of claim 24, wherein the frequency of the input wave is f₀, and the frequency of the optical output wave is 4 f₀.

27. The frequency up-conversion method of claim 24, wherein the spectrum of the input wave includes an optical carrier and an RF signal subcarrier, the frequency of the optical carrier is f₀, and the frequency of the RF signal subcarrier is f₀+f_RF.

28. The frequency up-conversion method of claim 24, wherein the frequency of the optical output wave is five times the frequency of the electrical wave.

29. The frequency up-conversion method of claim 24, wherein the spectrum of the input wave includes an optical carrier and an RF signal subcarrier, the frequency of the optical carrier is f₀−

f_RF, and the frequency of the RF signal subcarrier is f₀+f_RF.

30. The frequency up-conversion method of claim 24, wherein the frequency of the optical output wave is six times the frequency of the electrical wave.

31. The frequency up-conversion method of claim 24, wherein the modulation wave and the shifting wave form destructive interference in the step of coupling the modulation wave and the shifting wave to generate an optical output wave.

32. The frequency up-conversion method of claim 24, wherein the predetermined phase is 180 degrees.