Generation of Ultra Low Jitter Optical Pulses for Digital Processing of Millimeter Wave Signals

"Digital signal processing of microwave and millimeter wave signals, particularly RADAR and electronic warfare signals, is a key element of future missile defense sensor systems. High-speed, high-resolution photonic analog-to-digital conversion, is anenabling technology for the next generation of high performance millimeter wave systems (radar, electronic warfare, communications) and advanced digital beam forming array systems. The ability to directly digitize RF signals at the antenna elementsignificantly reduces the complexity, size, and cost of multi-element array millimeter wave systems The specific goal of this proposed program is to develop a new generation of compact solid state lasers for low jitter clock signal generation to be used inhigh speed, high resolution analog to photonic digital converters (ADC) for microwave and millimeter wave signal processing. The use of these microchip lasers is expected to produce low jitter clock pulses with timing jitter as low as 0.01 picoseconds andrates as high as 100 GHz. The expected performance of this technology far exceeds that of anything currently available. As an ultra low jitter, high frequency clock, it will be a key component for the next generation of optical analog to digital convertersfor RADAR and electronic warfare. Both military and commercial companies will also benefit from the ultra low jitter, high frequency clock in testing and development of the next generation of u