EMI resilient RF Photonic Links are critical for connecting remote antennas in the next generation Navy electronics warfare (EW) architecture. Current commercially available RF/photonic link technologies have deficiencies in dynamic range, noise figure, and SWaP performance. For a solution, this STTR project aims to develop a novel wide dynamic range, low noise RF photonic link, where the key component is a compact, EMI resilient transmitter (TX) module employing photonic integrated low-Vpi, high-speed optical modulators. The proposed link development leverages our extensive hand-on experience in high-performance RF photonics links and related optical modulator, photodetector, material growth, and photonic integrated circuit technologies. The Phase I efforts will validate the feasibility of the proposed link though design, simulations and preliminary proof-of-concept measurements. In Phase II, a prototype of the compact, wide dynamic range, low noise RF Photonic link system be fully developed for highly EMI-immune applications. Experimental validations for its gain, noise figure, dynamic range, and SWaP will also be performed.
Benefit: The proposed innovation provides an enabling high-performance RF photonic link technology for critical defense-related applications in optically fed radar frontends for phased-array, acquisition, direction-finding (DF) radar. The proposed link technology is also applicable to RF-over-fiber (RoF) telecom systems, including cable television (CATV), 5G as well as future 6G wireless network signal distributions. The market for the RF photonic link systems was valued at about $291.1 million in 2017 and is projected to be more than $566.1 million by 2023. The STTR R&D efforts are expected to accelerate the commercialization of the high-performance RF Photonics technology to meet the potential needs of the large defense and commercial market.
Keywords: Spurious Free Dynamic Range, Spurious Free Dynamic Range, HPM, photonic integrated circuit, noise figure, RF photonics, EMI
