Dynamic and wideband microwave photonic signal processing

Abstract

Radio frequency (RF) signal processing is ubiquitous in various fields, where dynamic and wideband processing capabilities are increasingly desired in modern systems. The inherent limitations of electronics make conventional RF signal processing technique lack of tunability, which cannot fulfill the functionalities required in modern systems. Microwave photonics (MWP) – a hybrid signal processing technique, which takes advantages from the unique properties of photonics, making it possible to remove the bottlenecks of electronic system. Here, we draw inspiration from photonics and bring breakthrough functionalities and great improvements to conventional signal processing technique. Various microwave photonic systems are developed and experimentally demonstrated, with great operating flexibility, wide bandwidth, and fast processing speed. The demonstrated systems include gigahertz-speed tunable MWP filters, highly reconfigurable MWP multiband filters, broadband and reconfigurable RF spectral shaper, and RF equalizer. The wideband operation range and extraordinary system flexibility make them suitable for a variety of applications in RF/microwave signal processing and emerging communication systems.