W-Band Pulse Generation Using Phase-Locked Lasers and High-Power Photodiode

We present an RF photonic pulse generator operating at 77 GHz that can be implemented with multioctave RF tunability. Capitalizing on the beat frequency provided by an optical heterodyne, optical pulse generation is achieved using a low-speed, null-biased Mach-Zehnder modulator while RF pulse generation is achieved using a high-speed, high-power photodiode. Peak photodiode output power as high as 27.4 dBm is reported with a pulse width of 5 ns and a pulse repetition frequency of 1 MHz. System architecture is described, and photodiode output power as a function of duty cycle is investigated.