Photonic generation of Terahertz (THz) carriers displays high potential for THz communications with a large tunable range and high modulation bandwidth. While many photonics-based THz generations ...have recently been demonstrated with discrete bulky components, their practical applications are significantly hindered by the large footprint and high energy consumption. Herein, we present an injection-locked heterodyne source based on generic foundry-fabricated photonic integrated circuits (PIC) attached to a uni-traveling carrier photodiode generating high-purity THz carriers. The generated THz carrier is tunable within the range of 0-1.4 THz, determined by the wavelength spacing between the two monolithically integrated distributed feedback (DFB) lasers. This scheme generates and transmits a 131 Gbits
net rate signal over a 10.7-m distance with -24 dBm emitted power at 0.4 THz. This monolithic dual-DFB PIC-based THz generation approach is a significant step towards fully integrated, cost-effective, and energy-efficient THz transmitters.
This paper reviews a recent progress in terahertz wireless communications enabled by photonics technologies. After briefly summarizing transceiver configurations with electronics and photonics ...technologies, photonics-based approaches to achieving over 100-Gbit/s data rates are discussed. Then, some of our updated results on real-time wireless transmission experiments using discrete components are shown at data rates up to 50 Gbit/s. Finally, integration technologies are described by demonstrating latest advances in integrated optical sources and transmitters.
We present a novel approach to coherent photonic THz systems supporting complex modulation. The proposed scheme uses a single optical path avoiding the problems of current implementations, which ...include: phase decorrelation, 3-dB power loss, and polarization and power matching circuits. More importantly, we show that our novel approach is compatible with direct modulation of the output of an optical frequency comb (i.e., not requiring the demultiplexing of two tones from the comb), further simplifying the system and enabling an increase in the transmitted RF power for a fixed average optical power injected into the photodiode.
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We present a photonically-excited antenna array at E-band for scanning by beam switching in wireless links. First, we discuss the proposed technique applied to photonic-enabled (sub)millimeter-wave ...transmitters. Next, we present our implementation; it consists of two sub-arrays of stacked patches as primary feeds of a Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) lens, with one photodiode feeding each sub-array. To validate the assembly, the return loss and radiation patterns have been measured for one of the sub-arrays excited with a coplanar probe. In turn, the lens illuminated by one of the sub-arrays yields a directivity of 27 dBi. The radiation patterns measured for the transmitter module (including the lens) are in very good agreement with full-wave simulations, and they show that excitation of one of either sub-arrays allows beam switching between <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">\pm 2.7^\circ</tex-math></inline-formula> with a beam crossover at <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">-3\, \mathrm{dB}</tex-math></inline-formula>. Finally, we have tested the transmitter in a 0.6 m wireless link. Depending on the position of the detector and on which sub-array is excited, we have accomplished 5 Gbps transmission for on-off-keying modulation and direct detection (BER <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">=10^{-11}</tex-math></inline-formula>). The system constitutes an initial proof of photonic-assisted beam switching for mm-wave transmitters enabling broadband operation with a directive and switchable beam.
We report for the first time the successful wavelength stabilization of two hybrid integrated InP/Polymer DBR lasers through optical injection. The two InP/Polymer DBR lasers are integrated into a ...photonic integrated circuit, providing an ideal source for millimeter and Terahertz wave generation by optical heterodyne technique. These lasers offer the widest tuning range of the carrier wave demonstrated to date up into the Terahertz range, about 20 nm (2.5 THz) on a single photonic integrated circuit. We demonstrate the application of this source to generate a carrier wave at 330 GHz to establish a wireless data transmission link at a data rate up to 18 Gbit/s. Using a coherent detection scheme we increase the sensitivity by more than 10 dB over direct detection.
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A photonic integrated circuit for microwave generation is proposed and experimentally validated. On the microchip, two tunable monochromatic lasers spectrally separated by 0-10.7 nm are ...monolithically integrated with one high-speed photodiode in heterodyne configuration for enabling continuous RF synthesis from 2 to 42 GHz. Under free-running operation, the two lasers with 20-40 MHz optical linewidth produce RF beat note with ~90 MHz electrical linewidth at the on-chip photodiode. This is the first demonstration of such a fully integrated microwave photonic generator developed within an open-access generic foundry platform.
We present a monolithically integrated mode-locked laser (MLL) with 25 GHz fundamental repetition rate frequency, which has been designed to operate in a fourth-order colliding regime, to generate ...100 GHz. This device has been fabricated within a multi-project wafer (MPW) run in an InP-based active-passive generic foundry. The Fabry-Perot laser resonator, of around 1.66 mm length, is defined by two on-chip reflectors, eliminating the need of cleaved facet. Three saturable absorber sections are symmetrically located by spacing them a quarter of this total length, dividing the cavity into four gain segments. We show that this structure can generate an electrical beat note at 25 GHz as well as 100 GHz, with a linewidth of 350 kHz and 150 kHz, respectively, operating in passive operation regime.
The absence of a suitable standard device platform for terahertz waves is currently a major roadblock that is inhibiting the widespread adoption and exploitation of terahertz technology. As a ...consequence, terahertz-range devices and systems are generally an ad hoc combination of several different heterogeneous technologies and fields of study, which serves perfectly well for a once-off experimental demonstration or proof-of-concept, but is not readily adapted to real-world use case scenarios. In contrast, establishing a common platform would allow us to consolidate our design efforts, define a well-defined scope of specialization for “terahertz engineering,” and to finally move beyond the disconnected efforts that have characterized the past decades. This tutorial will present arguments that nominate substrateless all-silicon microstructures as the most promising candidate due to the low loss of high-resistivity float-zone intrinsic silicon, the compactness of high-contrast dielectric waveguides, the designability of lattice structures, such as effective medium and photonic crystal, physical rigidity, ease and low cost of manufacture using deep-reactive ion etching, and the versatility of the many diverse functional devices and systems that may be integrated. We will present an overview of the historical development of the various constituents of this technology, compare and contrast different approaches in detail, and briefly describe relevant aspects of electromagnetic theory, which we hope will be of assistance.
A monolithically integrated photonic source for tuneable mm-wave signal generation has been fabricated. The source consists of 14 active components, i.e. semiconductor lasers, amplifiers and ...photodetectors, all integrated on a 3 mm(2) InP chip. Heterodyne signals in the range between 85 GHz and 120 GHz with up to -10 dBm output power have been successfully generated. By optically injection locking the integrated lasers to an external optical comb source, high-spectral-purity signals at frequencies >100 GHz have been generated, with phase noise spectral density below -90 dBc/Hz being achieved at offsets from the carrier greater than 10 kHz.
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