Photonics Research, 2018, 6 (5): 05000B30, Published Online: Apr. 11, 2019
Photonic microwave true time delays for phased array antennas using a 49 GHz FSR integrated optical micro-comb source [Invited]
Abstract
We demonstrate significantly improved performance of a microwave true time delay line based on an integrated optical frequency comb source. The broadband micro-comb (over 100 nm wide) features a record low free spectral range (FSR) of 49 GHz, resulting in an unprecedented record high channel number (81 over the C band)—the highest number of channels for an integrated comb source used for microwave signal processing. We theoretically analyze the performance of a phased array antenna and show that this large channel count results in a high angular resolution and wide beam-steering tunable range. This demonstrates the feasibility of our approach as a competitive solution toward implementing integrated photonic true time delays in radar and communications systems.
Xingyuan Xu, Jiayang Wu, Thach G. Nguyen, Tania Moein, Sai T. Chu, Brent E. Little, Roberto Morandotti, Arnan Mitchell, David J. Moss. Photonic microwave true time delays for phased array antennas using a 49 GHz FSR integrated optical micro-comb source [Invited][J]. Photonics Research, 2018, 6(5): 05000B30.