Work

Simple photonics-based microwave frequency and power measurement system

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper presents a microwave photonic system for measuring both the frequency and power of an RF signal. It is based on a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DP-MZM) and an optical bandpass filter (OBPF). The OBPF selects an RF modulation sideband produced by the two sub-MZMs inside the DP-MZM. Applying a sawtooth wave with an amplitude of twice the modulator half-wave voltage V ?,DC , which is equivalent to sweeping the modulator bias voltage over the range V ?,DC , results in the generation of a low-frequency sinusoidal wave after photodetection. The frequency and power of the system input RF signal can be determined by using a low-cost off-the-shelf gain and phase detector to measure the peak voltage and the phase of the low-frequency sinusoidal wave. The system has a simple and compact structure, a fast response time, a wide frequency operating range and a robust performance. Experimental results are presented that demonstrate RF signal frequency and power measurements in the ranges of 5 to 20GHz and -10 to 17dBm, respectively.

Source: Optics Express

DOI: 10.1364/oe.550320

Authors: Chongjia Huang, Helong Zhang, Kun Zhi, Peng Hao, Shengbao Wu, Erwin H. W. Chan

Institution: Hebei University

Language: English

Topic: Advanced Photonic Communication Systems

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,270

Funder: Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province