Broadband millimeter-wave frequency mixer based on thin-film lithium niobate photonics

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Xie, Xiangzhi, Feng, Hanke, Tao, Yuansheng, Zhang, Yiwen, Chen, Yikun, Zhang, Ke, Chen, Zhaoxi, Wang, Cheng
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Xie, Xiangzhi
Feng, Hanke
Tao, Yuansheng
Zhang, Yiwen
Chen, Yikun
Zhang, Ke
Chen, Zhaoxi
Wang, Cheng
author_facet Xie, Xiangzhi
Feng, Hanke
Tao, Yuansheng
Zhang, Yiwen
Chen, Yikun
Zhang, Ke
Chen, Zhaoxi
Wang, Cheng
contents Frequency mixers are fundamental components in modern wireless communication and radar systems, responsible for up- and down-conversion of target radio-frequency (RF) signals. Recently, photonic-assisted RF mixers have shown unique advantages over traditional electronic counterparts, including broad operational bandwidth, flat frequency response, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. However, current integrated photonic mixers face significant challenges in achieving efficient conversion at high frequencies, especially in millimeter-wave bands, due to the limitations of existing electro-optic (EO) modulators. Additionally, high-frequency local oscillators in the millimeter-wave range are often difficult to obtain and expensive, leading to unsatisfactory cost and restricted operational bandwidth in practice. In this paper, we harness the exceptional EO property and scalability of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic platform to implement a high-performance harmonic reconfigurable millimeter-wave mixer. The TFLN photonic circuit integrates a broadband EO modulator that allows for extensive frequency coverage, and an EO frequency comb source that significantly reduces the required carrier frequency of the local oscillator. We experimentally demonstrate fully reconfigurable frequency down-conversion across a broad operational bandwidth ranging from 20 GHz to 67 GHz, with a large intermediate frequency of 20 GHz, as well as up-conversion to frequencies of up to 110 GHz. Our integrated photonic mixing system shows dramatically improved bandwidth performance, along with competitive indicators of frequency conversion efficiency and spurious suppression ratio, positioning it as a promising solution for future millimeter-wave transceivers in next-generation communication and sensing systems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2410_12426
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Broadband millimeter-wave frequency mixer based on thin-film lithium niobate photonics
Xie, Xiangzhi
Feng, Hanke
Tao, Yuansheng
Zhang, Yiwen
Chen, Yikun
Zhang, Ke
Chen, Zhaoxi
Wang, Cheng
Optics
Applied Physics
Frequency mixers are fundamental components in modern wireless communication and radar systems, responsible for up- and down-conversion of target radio-frequency (RF) signals. Recently, photonic-assisted RF mixers have shown unique advantages over traditional electronic counterparts, including broad operational bandwidth, flat frequency response, and immunity to electromagnetic interference. However, current integrated photonic mixers face significant challenges in achieving efficient conversion at high frequencies, especially in millimeter-wave bands, due to the limitations of existing electro-optic (EO) modulators. Additionally, high-frequency local oscillators in the millimeter-wave range are often difficult to obtain and expensive, leading to unsatisfactory cost and restricted operational bandwidth in practice. In this paper, we harness the exceptional EO property and scalability of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) photonic platform to implement a high-performance harmonic reconfigurable millimeter-wave mixer. The TFLN photonic circuit integrates a broadband EO modulator that allows for extensive frequency coverage, and an EO frequency comb source that significantly reduces the required carrier frequency of the local oscillator. We experimentally demonstrate fully reconfigurable frequency down-conversion across a broad operational bandwidth ranging from 20 GHz to 67 GHz, with a large intermediate frequency of 20 GHz, as well as up-conversion to frequencies of up to 110 GHz. Our integrated photonic mixing system shows dramatically improved bandwidth performance, along with competitive indicators of frequency conversion efficiency and spurious suppression ratio, positioning it as a promising solution for future millimeter-wave transceivers in next-generation communication and sensing systems.
title Broadband millimeter-wave frequency mixer based on thin-film lithium niobate photonics
topic Optics
Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2410.12426