Broadband Optoelectronic Frequency Response Measurement Utilizing Frequency Conversion

A broadband optoelectronic (O/E) frequency response measurement method utilizing photonics-based frequency conversion is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. It is characterized by a sub-kilohertz frequency resolution and a doubled measurement bandwidth compared with the RF frequency sweeping range and the working bandwidth. A carrier-frequency-shifted optical double-sideband (ODSB) signal is produced by employing a dual-drive Mach-Zehnder modulator (DD-MZM) and stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS). Then, a photodetector (PD) under test receives and converts the optical signal into a photocurrent. By detecting the frequency up- and down-conversion components generated by the two first-order sidebands and the optical carrier, the O/E frequency responses in the low- and high-frequency regions are achieved. After stitching the two measured responses together, an O/E frequency response with a frequency range that is twice the bandwidth of the input microwave signal is obtained. In an experiment, the O/E frequency response of a commercial high-speed PD is precisely characterized with a frequency resolution up to 5.55 MHz. A frequency bandwidth of 66.8 GHz (0.1-66.9 GHz) is achieved by using a 25-GHz DD-MZM. The measured O/E frequency response is coincident with that measured by a commercial instrument.