Wideband receiver based on photonics technology
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A device, comprising:
- an electrical port to receive an input electrical oscillation signal at an input carrier frequency in a radio frequency, microwave, or millimeter wave spectral range;
a first laser to produce a first continuous-wave (CW) laser beam at a first laser frequency;
an optical modulator to receive the first CW laser beam and the input signal and operable to modulate the first CW laser beam in response to the input signal to produce a modulated optical beam that carries the input signal;
a tunable optical filter to filter the modulated optical beam from the optical modulator to select at least one spectral component in the modulated optical signal while rejecting light at the first laser frequency and other spectral components and to output a filtered modulated optical beam that carries the at least one selected spectral component;
a second laser to produce a second CW laser beam at a second laser frequency, the first and second lasers are phase locked relative to each other; and
an optical detector to receive both the filtered modulated optical beam from the tunable optical filter and the second CW laser beam to produce a receiver output signal at an output frequency.
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Abstract
Tunable receivers and techniques for receiving an electrical oscillator signal in the RF, microwave or millimeter spectral range based on photonics technology to use both (1) photonic or optical components and (2) electronic circuit components.
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Citations
25 Claims
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1. A device, comprising:
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an electrical port to receive an input electrical oscillation signal at an input carrier frequency in a radio frequency, microwave, or millimeter wave spectral range; a first laser to produce a first continuous-wave (CW) laser beam at a first laser frequency; an optical modulator to receive the first CW laser beam and the input signal and operable to modulate the first CW laser beam in response to the input signal to produce a modulated optical beam that carries the input signal; a tunable optical filter to filter the modulated optical beam from the optical modulator to select at least one spectral component in the modulated optical signal while rejecting light at the first laser frequency and other spectral components and to output a filtered modulated optical beam that carries the at least one selected spectral component; a second laser to produce a second CW laser beam at a second laser frequency, the first and second lasers are phase locked relative to each other; and an optical detector to receive both the filtered modulated optical beam from the tunable optical filter and the second CW laser beam to produce a receiver output signal at an output frequency. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A method, comprising:
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using an input electrical oscillation signal at an input carrier frequency in a radio frequency, microwave, or millimeter wave spectral range to control optical modulation of a first continuous-wave (CW) laser beam at a first laser frequency from a first laser to produce a modulated optical beam that carries the input electrical oscillation signal; optically filtering the modulated optical beam to select at least one spectral component in the modulated optical signal while rejecting light at the first laser frequency other spectral components to output a filtered modulated optical beam that carries the at least one selected spectral component; mixing the filtered modulated optical beam with a second CW laser beam at a second laser frequency from a second laser, which is phase locked relative to the first laser, to produce a mixed optical signal; and using an optical detector to convert the mixed optical signal into a receiver output signal at an output frequency that carries the least one selected spectral component. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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24. A device, comprising:
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a first laser to produce a first continuous-wave (CW) laser beam at a first laser frequency; an optical modulator to receive the first CW laser beam and the input signal and operable to modulate the first CW laser beam in response to an electrical oscillation signal to produce a modulated optical beam that carries the electrical oscillation signal; a tunable optical filter to filter the modulated optical beam from the optical modulator to select at least one spectral component in the modulated optical signal while rejecting light at the first laser frequency and other spectral components and to output a filtered modulated optical beam that carries the at least one selected spectral component; a filter control unit to tune a center frequency of the tunable optical filter to tune the at least one selected spectral component; a second laser to produce a second CW laser beam at a second laser frequency; an optical detector to receive both the filtered modulated optical beam from the tunable optical filter and the second CW laser beam to produce a receiver output signal at an output frequency; and a control unit to lock the first and second lasers in phase relative to each other and to control the first and the second lasers to tune a difference between the first and the second laser frequencies in response to the tuning of the center frequency of the tunable optical filter to maintain the output frequency of the receiver output signal at a desired fixed frequency. - View Dependent Claims (25)
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Specification