Photonics-based Compact Broadband Transmitter Module for E-band Wireless Communications

In this paper we report a broadband photonics-based transmitter module for wireless communications in the E-Band frequency range (60 - 90 GHz). It is composed of a highspeed Uni-Traveling Carrier Photodiode (UTC-PD) coupled to a highly directive (14 dBi) broadband planar end-fire antenna using hybrid optoelectronic integration. Measurements show that the proposed emitter module yields a maximum radiated power of -6 dBm and a 3-dB frequency bandwidth of almost 30 GHz, widest ever achieved for an E-band device of this kind. Finally, we demonstrate the performance with an error-free 3 Gbps real-time data transmission wireless link. The novel approach presented enables further development towards the realization of a planar photonic phased antenna array.