Wireless communication with smart photonic antennas using transmission power control

This letter presents a novel integrated photonic antenna with a power control scheme. The controller regulates the levels of radiated power by adjusting the biasing voltage of a side-illuminated waveguide photodetector (WGPD). The WGPD converts the RF-modulated optical power into a microwave signal, which is then fed to an antenna. The controller uses as input the noise level measurements of a different receiving antenna, and periodically calculates the necessary amount of power that must be radiated. The performance of the RF/photonic device has been studied theoretically and in simulation. With the addition of power control capabilities, the device realizes an early attempt to design smart photonic antennas.