A low-noise photonic heterodyne synthesizer and its application to millimeter-wave radar

Eric A. Kittlaus (), Danny Eliyahu, Setareh Ganji, Skip Williams, Andrey B. Matsko, Ken B. Cooper and Siamak Forouhar
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Eric A. Kittlaus: California Institute of Technology
Danny Eliyahu: OEwaves Inc.
Setareh Ganji: OEwaves Inc.
Skip Williams: OEwaves Inc.
Andrey B. Matsko: California Institute of Technology
Ken B. Cooper: California Institute of Technology
Siamak Forouhar: California Institute of Technology

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Microwave photonics offers transformative capabilities for ultra-wideband electronic signal processing and frequency synthesis with record-low phase noise levels. Despite the intrinsic bandwidth of optical systems operating at ~200 THz carrier frequencies, many schemes for high-performance photonics-based microwave generation lack broadband tunability, and experience tradeoffs between noise level, complexity, and frequency. An alternative approach uses direct frequency down-mixing of two tunable semiconductor lasers on a fast photodiode. This form of optical heterodyning is frequency-agile, but experimental realizations have been hindered by the relatively high noise of free-running lasers. Here, we demonstrate a heterodyne synthesizer based on ultralow-noise self-injection-locked lasers, enabling highly-coherent, photonics-based microwave and millimeter-wave generation. Continuously-tunable operation is realized from 1-104 GHz, with constant phase noise of -109 dBc/Hz at 100 kHz offset from carrier. To explore its practical utility, we leverage this photonic source as the local oscillator within a 95-GHz frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radar. Through field testing, we observe dramatic reduction in phase-noise-related Doppler and ranging artifacts as compared to the radar’s existing electronic synthesizer. These results establish strong potential for coherent heterodyne millimeter-wave generation, opening the door to a variety of future applications including high-dynamic range remote sensing, wideband wireless communications, and THz spectroscopy.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24637-0

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