Sub-Nanosecond pulsed microwave generation technique by signal combination in the optical domain

A novel technique for the generation of 280 picosecond risetime pulsed microwave waveform has been developed. It is based on the mixture of two arbitary signals, an ultra-fast pulse train and microwave CW signal, generated from different sources, combined in the optical domain and photodetected, with the maximum preservation of the spectral and temporal features. The techniques's concepts and the setup used for the experimental validation are presented. The obtained results are discussed and compared to the pulsed microwave signals generated by a modern commercial microwave generator.