Millimeter-level Resolution Waveform Generation by Period One Laser Dynamics with Optical Frequency Down-conversion

A millimeter-level resolution waveform generation method is proposed. In this method, period one dynamics in an optically injected semiconductor laser is used to generate a broadband frequency-swept red-shifted sideband. By heterodyning this optical sideband with a frequency tunable reference laser, broadband frequency modulated signals with arbitrary central frequency can be generated. In the experiment, the generation of signals with bandwidths of 26 GHz (23-49 GHz) and 24 GHz (110-134 GHz) is demonstrated, which enables a radar range resolution as high as 6 mm. The proposed method is a promising solution to generating broadband frequency modulated signals with the bandwidth over 20 GHz in arbitrary frequency bands, which can find applications in further high-resolution radars.