Simultaneous Generation of Baseband and Radio Signals Using Only One Single-Electrode Mach-Zehnder Modulator With Enhanced Linearity

• Published in: IEEE photonics technology letters Vol. 18; no. 23; pp. 2481 - 2483
• Main Authors: Chun-Ting Lin, Wei-Ren Peng, Peng-Chun Peng, Chen, J., Cheng-Feng Peng, Bi-Shiou Chiou, Chi, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.12.2006; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Amplitude modulation; Bandwidth; Baseband; Carriers; Linearity; Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM); microwave; Microwave generation; Microwaves; millimeter-wave (mm-wave); Modulation; Modulators; Optical modulation; Optical receivers; Optical sensors; Optimization; Radio frequencies; radio-over-fiber (RoF); Receivers; RF signals; Signal generators
• ISSN: 1041-1135; 1941-0174
• DOI: 10.1109/LPT.2006.887233

We experimentally demonstrate a simultaneous generation of baseband (BB) and RF signals, using only one single-electrode Mach-Zehnder modulator (SD-MZM) based on double-sideband with optical carrier suppression (DSBCS) scheme. With optimal modulation index (MI =V p-p /2V pi ) equal to 0.43 for driving MZM, the receiver sensitivity of the RF signal can have 1-dB improvement. Based on this result, only one SD-MZM is needed to generate optical microwaves using DSBCS scheme, thus eliminating the requirement of a high-cost dual-electrode MZM without degrading the signal performance. Following 75-km standard single-mode fiber, the power penalties of both BB and RF signals are less than 0.3 dB