Programmable multifunctional integrated microwave photonic circuit on thin-film lithium niobate

TL;DR

This paper presents a highly integrated, tunable microwave photonic notch filter on thin-film lithium niobate, demonstrating multifunctionality, high dynamic range, and ultra-high rejection, advancing practical microwave photonic systems.

Contribution

First demonstration of a tunable, multifunctional microwave photonic filter on thin-film lithium niobate with high performance metrics.

Findings

Achieved high rejection ratio in the notch filter.

Enabled dual-band filtering and interference suppression.

Demonstrated high link gain and low noise figure.

Abstract

Microwave photonics, with its advanced high-frequency signal processing capabilities, is expected to play a crucial role in next-generation wireless communications and radar systems. The realization of highly integrated, high-performance, and multifunctional microwave photonic links will pave the way for its widespread deployment in practical applications, which is a significant challenge. Here, leveraging thin-film lithium niobate intensity modulator and programmable cascaded microring resonators, we demonstrate for the first time a tunable microwave photonic notch filter that simultaneously achieves high level of integration along with high dynamic range, high link gain, low noise figure, and ultra-high rejection ratio. Additionally, this programmable on-chip system is multifunctional, allowing for the dual-band notch filter and the suppression of the high-power interference signal. This work demonstrates the potential applications of the thin-film lithium niobate platform in the field of high-performance integrated microwave photonic filtering and signal processing, facilitating the advancement of microwave photonic system towards practical applications.