Directly-modulated photonic devices for microwave applications

In this paper, we show that directly-modulated photonic devices, such as distributed feedback (DFB) lasers and vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs), exhibit very high linearity even when operated under uncooled conditions. It is proven by both experiment and simulation that these devices may be used in directly-modulated radio-over-fiber (RoF) links to meet the stringent requirements of current and future wireless network applications. High-dynamic-range microwave signals can be transported over these links with negligible penalty.