Noise Spectrum Characterization of Slow Light SOA-Based Microwave Photonic Phase Shifters

Numerical and experimental investigations of the noise properties of semiconductor-optical-amplifier-based microwave photonic phase shifters are presented. Dependencies of the noise power spectral density on key parameters accounting for slow light propagation are reported. The effect of suppressing the red-shifted sideband at the output of the amplifier on the noise spectrum nature is widely characterized. Discussions are finally given in case of cascading several phase shifting stages.