1 × N hybrid radio frequency photonic splitter based on a dual-polarization dual-parallel Mach Zehnder modulator

Abstract

Abstract We report a 1\xa0 × \xa0N hybrid radio frequency (RF) photonic splitter with arbitrary phase shift and amplitude ratio using a dual-polarization dual-parallel Mach Zehnder modulator (DP-DPMZM). The DP-DPMZM is properly set to generate an orthogonally polarized single-sideband (SSB) modulated optical signal. By controlling a polarization controller (PC) and a polarizer (Pol.) that cascaded behind the modulator, an RF photonic splitter with arbitrary phase and amplitude ratio can be realized. Compared with previous reported works, the proposed RF splitter can be operated in a wide bandwidth since no optical or electrical filters are involved. The proposed scheme is theoretically analyzed and experimentally verified.