Polarization Diversity Photoreceiver Integration on 26 GHz PCB Leaky-Wave Antenna for Photonic Beam Steering Transmitter

In this paper, we report on the integration of a photonic beam steering transmitter for the 5G26 GHz band. The transmitter, designed for fiber-to-the-antenna applications, is based on an optical polarization diversity receiver and a PCB leaky-wave antenna. Therefore, an integrated photoreceiver with polarization dependent couplers and high frequency waveguide photodiodes provides optoelectronic conversion of an incoming radio-over-fiber (RoF) signal. The antenna is fabricated from low-cost PCB processes and includes a bias-tee to provide an integration platform for the photodiode. The leaky-wave antenna further operates in the frequency range from 24 GHz to 33 GHz, where it scans its beam angle with changing the radio frequency. Thus, the integrated transmitter provides photonic beam steering via changing the beat frequency of the optical RoF signal due to the LWA frequency scanning behavior. A prototype transmitter has been successfully integrated, with which the photonic beam steering properties are experimentally demonstrated.