Optical links for ultra low phase noise microwave oscillators measurement

In this paper, optical links for the transmission of a signal at X- or Ku-band have been studied. Their gain and noise properties have been calculated and measured using a Mach-Zehnder modulator (MZM) biased for linear modulation or for carrier suppression. Then an original microwave phase noise measurement bench, which uses an optical link as a delay line, is evaluated.