Event

Name: Vincent Pagan

Committee:

Professor Thomas E. Murphy, Chair/Adviser

Professor Mario Dagenais

Professor Julius Goldhar

Doctor Bryan Haas

Professor Miao Yu, Dean's Representative

Time: Monday, April 13, 2015 at 1:00 pm

Location: IREAP Conference Room (ERF 1207)

Title: RF Photonic Vector Modulation and Demodulation Techniques for Millimeter-Wave Communications

Abstract:

RF photonic techniques for modulating and demodulating microwave and millimeter-wave signals on RF carriers are theoretically analyzed and experimentally demonstrated.  The two demodulating configurations utilize cascaded electrooptic phase-modulation followed by optical filtering.  The spurious free dynamic ranges of these configurations are measured and a technique to intrinsically linearize the latter system to fifth-order is experimentally confirmed.  Measurements are then performed at frequencies between 7 and 70 GHz that verify RF photonic based downconversion using a harmonic of the electrical local oscillator (LO).  Furthermore, this architecture is extended to allow for vector demodulation of digitally-encoded signals.  Results of RF photonic demodulation of 4-quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and 16-QAM RF encoded millimeter-wave signals are presented.

Two RF photonic techniques for generating and encoding millimeter-wave RF signals are analyzed and experimentally demonstrated.  The first uses phase-modulation and optical filtering in an interferometric configuration.  Phase-shift keyed encoded microwave and millimeter-wave signals are electrooptically synthesized using a harmonic of the electrical LO at data-rates of up to 6 Gbps and frequencies of up to 40 GHz.  A second RF photonic scheme is developed to allow for vector modulation and upconversion using dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulators.  Vector modulation and upconversion are then shown at harmonics of the LO up to the fourth-order and at frequencies up to 60 GHz.  Moreover, generation of 2.488 Gbps 4-QAM signals on a 36 GHz carrier using the second harmonic of the LO are demonstrated with this approach.  Wired and wireless microwave and millimeter-wave transmission experiments are successfully conducted with the RF photonic systems detailed above in a laboratory environment.