Self-Heterodyne Generation of Ultrawideband Linear Frequency Modulated Microwave Signals Based on Fiber-Optic Michelson Interferometer

In this paper, microwave photonic technique of ultrawideband linearly frequency modulated signals generation is proposed. Laser diode self-heterodyne generator design is improved with fiber-optic Michelson interferometer based on Faraday mirrors, which allow to obtain time-stable optical beating with no respect to polarization state in optical fiber. Additionally, the approach based on time-frequency analysis is proposed for laser diode characterization as well as pre-tuning of ultrawideband generator. Generation of ultrawideband signal with linearly time-varying frequency in the form of triangle in range up to 5 GHz and full duration of 30 $\mu$ s is demonstrated (maximal frequency is limited by used measurement equipment).