在对光电振荡器(OEO)的工作原理和特性进行阐述和分析的基础上，总结回顾了边模抑制、降低相位噪声、提高频率稳定性等改善光电振荡器性能的各种技术手段和方案，评述了基于光电振荡器的光脉冲产生、时钟提取等应用，讨论了制约光电振荡器实用化的因素，提出了可能的发展方向和改进措施。

Though explicating and analyzing the mechanism and character of optoelectronic oscillator (OEO)，the techniques and schemes for improving OEO′s performance are reviewed, such as suppressing side-mode, decreasing phase noise and improving frequency stability. Some applications based on OEO, such as optical pulse generation and clock recovery, are also presented. Finally, the restrictions and possible solutions for OEO′s development are discussed.