Wideband tunable microwave signal generation in a silicon-based optoelectronic oscillator

TL;DR

This paper introduces a silicon-based optoelectronic oscillator with wideband tunability from 6 GHz to 18 GHz, achieved through a novel optical filtering approach, and demonstrates its potential for high-precision sensing applications.

Contribution

A new method for silicon OEOs enabling wide tunability and direct microwave conversion using an add-drop ring resonator and wavelength spacing control.

Findings

Microwave generation between 6 GHz and 18 GHz

Precise refractive index monitoring with high sensitivity

Potential for high-performance silicon photonic sensors

Abstract

Si photonics has an immense potential for the development of compact and low-loss opto-electronic oscillators (OEO), with applications in radar and wireless communications. However, current Si OEO have shown a limited performance. Si OEO relying on direct conversion of intensity modulated signals into the microwave domain yield a limited tunability. Wider tunability has been shown by indirect phase-modulation to intensity-modulation conversion, requiring precise control of the phase-modulation. Here, we propose a new approach enabling Si OEOs with wide tunability and direct intensity-modulation to microwave conversion. The microwave signal is created by the beating between an optical source and single sideband modulation signal, selected by an add-drop ring resonator working as an optical bandpass filter. The tunability is achieved by changing the wavelength spacing between the optical source and resonance peak of the resonator. Based on this concept, we experimentally demonstrate microwave signal generation between 6 GHz and 18 GHz, the widest range for a Si-based OEO. Moreover, preliminary results indicate that the proposed Si OEO provides precise refractive index monitoring, with a sensitivity of 94350 GHz RIU and a potential limit of detection of only 10-8 RIU, opening a new route for the implementation of high-performance Si photonic sensors.