Ripple Suppression in Broadband Microwave Photonic Phase Shifter Frequency Response

This paper presents a detailed investigation on the cause of ripples in the frequency response of a microwave photonic phase shifter implemented using a 90° hybrid coupler. It was found that an unwanted radio frequency (RF) modulation sideband is generated at the modulator output due to the...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Weicheng Xia, Ruiqi Zheng, Bijuan Chen, Erwin H. W. Chan, Xudong Wang, Xinhuan Feng, Bai-Ou Guan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2018-11-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/8/12/2433
Description
Summary:This paper presents a detailed investigation on the cause of ripples in the frequency response of a microwave photonic phase shifter implemented using a 90° hybrid coupler. It was found that an unwanted radio frequency (RF) modulation sideband is generated at the modulator output due to the 90° hybrid coupler amplitude and phase imbalance. This resulted in phase shifter output RF signal amplitude variation and phase deviation. Experimental results demonstrated that incorporating an optical filter in the phase shifter structure can reduce the amplitude variation and phase deviation from 4.2 dB to 2.2 dB and from ±12° to ±3.8°, respectively, over a wide frequency range. A comparison of the loss and the dynamic range of the microwave photonic phase shifter implemented using a 90° hybrid coupler with a conventional fiber optic link is also presented.
ISSN:2076-3417