Ultra-Wideband Signal Generation Based on a Silicon Segmented Mach-Zehnder Modulator

Gangqiang Zhou; Yuyao Guo; Liangjun Lu; Jianping Chen; Linjie Zhou

doi:10.1109/JPHOT.2020.3032967

IEEE Photonics Journal (Jan 2020)

Ultra-Wideband Signal Generation Based on a Silicon Segmented Mach-Zehnder Modulator

Gangqiang Zhou,
Yuyao Guo,
Liangjun Lu,
Jianping Chen,
Linjie Zhou

Affiliations

Gangqiang Zhou: ORCiD; State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, Shanghai Key Lab of Navigation and Location Services, Department of Electronic Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Yuyao Guo: State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, Shanghai Key Lab of Navigation and Location Services, Department of Electronic Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Liangjun Lu: ORCiD; State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, Shanghai Key Lab of Navigation and Location Services, Department of Electronic Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Jianping Chen: ORCiD; State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, Shanghai Key Lab of Navigation and Location Services, Department of Electronic Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
Linjie Zhou: ORCiD; State Key Laboratory of Advanced Optical Communication Systems and Networks, Shanghai Key Lab of Navigation and Location Services, Department of Electronic Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1109/JPHOT.2020.3032967
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 12, no. 6
pp. 1 – 15

Abstract

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In this paper, we demonstrate a method to generate a low-chirp ultra-wideband pulse (UWB) signal based on a silicon single-drive push-pull segmented Mach-Zehnder modulator (SMZM). The concept is analyzed theoretically and demonstrated experimentally. We get positive monocycle pulses with different relative time delays between the two driving signals. The center frequency and fractional bandwidth of the generated positive monocycle pulse is 5.97 GHz and 161% with a relative time delay of 56 ps. By changing the operating point of the SMZM, we can get negative monocycle pulses. We modulate the UWB signals with on-off keying and pulse position formats by properly coding the driving signal. As far as we know, this is the first time to realize low-chirp UWB signals using only one silicon modulator. The successful generation of UWB signals poses a significant step in realizing a compact low-cost and low-chirp UWB generator on the silicon photonics platform.

Published in IEEE Photonics Journal

ISSN: 1943-0655 (Online)
Publisher: IEEE
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Technology: Engineering (General). Civil engineering (General): Applied optics. Photonics; Science: Physics: Optics. Light
Website: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIssue.jsp?punumber=4563994

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