2.49 GHz low phase-noise optoelectronic oscillator using 1.55μm VCSEL for avionics and aerospace applications

We present here a 1.55 mum single mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) based low phase-noise ring optoelectronic (OEO) oscillator operating at 2.49 GHz for aerospace, avionics and embedded systems applications. Experiments using optical fibers of different lengths have been carried out to obtain optimal results. A phase-noise measurement of -107 dBc/Hz at an offset of 10 kHz from the carrier is obtained. A 3-dB linewidth of 16 Hz for this oscillator signal has been measured. An analysis of lateral mode spacing or free spectral range (FSR) as a function of fiber length has been carried out. A parametric comparison with DFB laser-based and multimode VCSEL-based opto-electronic oscillators is also presented.