We demonstrate an analog photonic link with a high multioctave spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) of 119 dBHz2/3. The link consists of a pair of semiconductor DFB lasers modulated in a push-pull manner and a balanced photodetector. With precise amplitude and phase matchings, a signal enhancement of 4.5 dB and a second-order inter-modulation distortion suppression of 40 dB relative to the case of a single arm optical link with one laser can be achieved. To our knowledge, the measured SFDR is one of the highest broadband value ever achieved with directly modulated lasers.
Published in:
Microwave Symposium Digest, 2008 IEEE MTT-S International
Date of Conference: 15-20 June 2008