Microwave phase-control scheme based on optical beat wave generation and propagation in an optical fiber

A microwave phase-control scheme is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Two lasers are combined in an optical fiber coupler to generate a beat signal. The beat frequency is tuned by controlling the frequency of one laser. Using the phase shift of the beat waves with different frequencies during the propagation in an optical fiber, the phase of the radio-frequency (RF) signal generated by a photodetector (PD) can be controlled. Using the phase shift during the propagation of beat waves in an optical fiber with different beat frequencies, the phase of the RF signal generated by a PD connected to the fiber can be controlled. A tunable phase shift ranging from 0 deg to 1400 deg is obtained for frequencies from 6 to 10 GHz. This scheme offers the advantages of fast tuning and precise phase control of an RF signal. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.