Frequency-Agile (1-150 GHz) Ultrahigh Dynamic Range Millimeter-Wave Optical Transmitter with RF Phase Control Based on Feedforward Compensation

This effort proposes to investigate novel mm-wave optical transmitters based on feedforward compensation. Efficient fiber-optic transport, frequency agility (1-150 GHz), ultrahigh dynamic range (120 dB (1 Hz)) and simultaneous, continuous RF phase control of the treansmitted millimeter-wave signal is accomplished with the same modulator. This allows military phased-array systems to exploit the advantages of fiber while reducing system cost and complexity. Furthermore, fiber links based on the feedforward transmitter can serve as a connecting infrastructure for fiber-fed antennas in conventional microwave and future high-bandwidth mm-wave wireless cable-television and cellular communication systems. Since this work is of obvious commercial and military interest, it falls into a genuine "dual-use" category. The feedforward mm-wave optical transmitter does not suffer from bandwidth limitations inherent in feedback techniques such as phase-locked loops, and is constructed entirely from commercially available componetns that are all OptoElectronic Integrated Circuit (OEIC) compatible. Furthermore, due to a unique mechanism in the robust feedforwar design, no high-frequency optoelectronic components are required to transmit the mm-wave signals. Prior success with the feedforward optical transmitter provides strong evidence for the successful completion of phase I of this effort.