Optoelectronic [Formula Omitted]-Band Oscillator With Gigahertz Tuning Range and Low Phase Noise

• Published in: IEEE photonics technology letters Vol. 22; no. 20; p. 1497
• Main Authors: Fedderwitz, Sascha, Stohr, Andreas, Babiel, Sebastian, Rymanov, Vitaly, Jager, Dieter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE) 15.10.2010
• ISSN: 1041-1135; 1941-0174
• DOI: 10.1109/LPT.2010.2064762

We propose and demonstrate a [Formula Omitted]-band optoelectronic oscillator with ultralow phase noise performance and a frequency tuning range exceeding 1 GHz. The operation principle is based upon using two parallel optoelectronic loops with similar but not equal length and an electrical phase shifter for frequency tuning. We experimentally demonstrate tunable microwave signal generation within 20.7-21.8 GHz with a coarse frequency resolution of [Formula Omitted]100 MHz. Fine tuning of the generated signal within a range of [Formula Omitted]5 MHz is also achieved. The linewidth and phase noise of the generated microwave signal are [Formula Omitted]3 Hz and [Formula Omitted]105 dBc/Hz at 10-kHz offset, respectively. Within the full gigahertz tuning range, the phase noise and output power of the generated microwave signal varies by only [Formula Omitted]1.5 and [Formula Omitted]1 dB, respectively.