ABSTRACT
A microwave photonic mixer that can realize the generation, up/down conversion, amplitude/phase control of a millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal is proposed and proven. In the scheme, a Dual-Parallel Mach–Zehnder Modulator (DPMZM) that is modulated by Radio Frequency (RF) signals is utilized to generate two second-order sidebands. The two sidebands are then separated by a Mach–Zehnder Interferometer (MZI). The –2nd-order sideband is injected into a Phase Modulator (PM) to get a tunable phase shift. The +2nd-order sideband is sent to the second DPMZM which is modulated by Local Oscillator (LO) signals in order to implement frequency up/down conversion or amplitude control. After an Optical Coupler (OC) and a Photodiode (PD), an mm-wave signal with tunable phase shift is produced. The results show that up conversion signals from 41 to 45 GHz, down conversion signals from 35 to 39 GHz and an amplitude-controlled signal at 40GHz are produced, meanwhile, tunable phase shifts are accompanied.
