M.A. Piqueras

Tunable and reconfigurable photonic microwave filter based on stimulated Brillouin scattering

A high Q-factor photonic microwave filter showing tuning and reshaping capabilities and based on stimulated Brillouin scattering is demonstrated. The filter bandpass can be continuously tuned, changing the microwave oscillator used to generate the pump power, and the filter shape can be modified by modulating the microwave tone. A single bandpass over the microwave spectrum can be obtained by using single-sideband suppressed carrier modulation. Experimental results demonstrate the wide tuning range of the filter, its reshaping capability, and Q factor of 670.

Optically beamformed beam-switched adaptive antennas for fixed and mobile broad-band wireless access networks

In this paper, a 3-bit optical beamforming architecture based in 2/spl times/2 optical switches and dispersive media is proposed and demonstrated. The performance of this photonic beamformer is experimentally demonstrated at 42.7 GHz in both transmission and reception modes. The progress achieved for realizing these architectures with integrated optics is also reported. Due to its advanced features (i.e., potential fast-switching, huge bandwidth, and immunity to electromagnetic interference), the architecture is a very promising alternative to traditional beamforming technologies for implementing beamformed base-station antennas in fixed and mobile broad-band wireless access networks operating in the millimeter-wave band. The study presented here has been carried out in the frame of the IST 2000-25390 OBANET project.

Low-Crosstalk in Silicon-On-Insulator Waveguide Crossings With Optimized-Angle

Low crosstalk losses in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides are demonstrated. The proposed crossing structure has a high compactness, a broad bandwidth with almost flat transmission losses and constant crosstalk losses and is robust against fabrication inaccuracies.

Generation of Multi-Gigabit-per-Second MQAM/MPSK-Modulated Millimeter-Wave Carriers Employing Photonic Vector Modulator Techniques

In this paper, two photonic vector modulator (PVM) architectures are presented, and their use in generating multi-gigabit-per-second M-ary quadrature amplitude modulation/M-ary phase shift keying modulated RF carriers in the millimeter-wave frequency regime is experimentally demonstrated. First, a highly scalable photonic quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) architecture based on vector summation and dispersive delay lines, which directly generate multilevel signals from parallel in-phase and quadrature components, is proposed and experimentally demonstrated by generating up to 3-Gb/s quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), four-level amplitude shift keying, and eight-level QAM at 39-GHz-modulated carriers. The possibility of also detecting the baseband components is shown, which allows the simultaneous feeding of baseband/RF signals over the same infrastructure. This architecture is limited to a certain length of fiber, as the quadrature condition is obtained for a certain aggregated dispersion. To overcome this limitation, a second PVM architecture is proposed, which is based on the use of two Mach-Zehnder modulators in parallel and an optical delay line to obtain the quadrature condition. The generation of a 2-Gb/s QPSK signal is experimentally demonstrated, including a 1-km standard single-mode-fiber transmission.

Optical delay line based on arrayed waveguide gratings' spectral periodicity and dispersive media for antenna beamforming applications

An optical delay line (ODL) based on the free spectral range periodicity of arrayed waveguide gratings (AWGs) and dispersive media is analyzed with emphasis on the AWG physical features that limit its performance as a photonic antenna beamforming network. This ODL presents multiple simultaneous true-time delay, straightforward multibeam capability and a drastic cost reduction in comparison with previously reported schemes. Moreover, a simulation model of the ODL that takes into account the AWG frequency misalignment is presented. Finally, experimental results are also provided for 40-GHz electrical signals.

Direct photonic generation of electrical vector modulations at microwave/millimeter-wave frequencies

In this letter, a novel quadrature photonic vector modulator architecture is proposed. An electrical quadrature-modulated signal at microwave/millimeter-wave frequencies is generated from its corresponding base-band in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components. In the proposed scheme, no electrical devices apart from the electrical tone oscillator are needed in the generation process and, therefore, high data rates at high electrical frequencies can be obtained. In addition, the hardware requirements are reduced when compared to previously proposed architectures so a highly compact low-cost architecture can be implemented. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the architecture.

Generation of highly directional beam by k-space filtering using a metamaterial flat slab with a small negative index of refraction

The authors show how a flat slab made of a metamaterial engineered to have a small negative index of refraction can be used to reshape radiation emitted from an isotropic source and produce a highly directional output beam. The slab makes a filtering of high transverse wave vectors of the input diverging beam. The predicted phenomenon is demonstrated at microwave frequencies using a two-dimensional photonic crystal made of alumina rods. Simulations using the finite-difference time-domain method support the experiments.

Direction-of-arrival estimation of broadband microwave signals in phased-array antennas using photonic techniques

A photonic technique for detecting the angle of arrival of broadband microwave signals in phased-array antennas is proposed. Using a photonic microwave filter and measuring the frequency of the notches created by the filter over the broadband signal, it is possible to derive its direction of arrival, even in the presence of several sources. The technique is intended to be used in optical-beamforming networks for phased array antennas. The architecture of the optical-beamforming network will be barely modified adding just a few additional components. Experiments showing the feasibility of the technique are provided.

Full-duplex DOCSIS/WirelessDOCSIS fiber-radio network employing packaged AFPM-based base-stations

The simultaneous wireline (600 MHz) and wireless (5.5 GHz) transmission of data over cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) signals in a hybrid fiber-radio access network is presented. The DOCSIS signal wireless replica is generated by means of an optical harmonic up-conversion technique based on a dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator. The optical signal is fed to a base station (BS) where a packaged asymmetric Fabry-Pe/spl acute/rot modulator/detector acts simultaneously as a photodetector and an optical modulator. At the BS, the DOCSIS signals can be fed either to a wireline or a wireless access network, in a highly flexible approach. Full-duplex operation has been demonstrated for both access types, including indoor wireless transmission.

Full-Duplex DOCSIS/WirelessDOCSIS Fiber–Radio Network Employing Packaged AFPMs as Optical/Electrical Transducers

A hybrid fiber-radio access network architecture for simultaneous wireline and wireless transmissions of data-over-cable service interface specification (DOCSIS) signals is presented. An all-optical harmonic up-conversion technique using a dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator provides the downstream optical signal modulated not only at the intermediate frequency in the 600- to 900-MHz band for wireline transmission but also at the up-converted frequency in the 5.45- to 5.75-GHz band for wireless transmission. An InGaAsP/InGaAsP multiple-quantum-well asymmetric Fabry-Perot modulator/detector has been designed, fabricated, and packaged and has been employed in the base station (BS) as an optical/electrical transducer, simultaneously providing the functions of optical intensity modulation and photodetection. At the BS, the DOCSIS signals are recovered at the wireline and wireless frequencies for the respective feeding of a cable access network or a fixed wireless access network in a highly flexible approach. Full-duplex operation has been demonstrated for both access types in an indoor laboratory environment. In a subsequent small-scale field trial, real-life Internet traffic provided by a local community antenna television system operator has been transported over the present hybrid fiber-radio access network architecture, and simultaneous transmission of both DOCSIS and digital television signals has also been performed.