Centralized Millimeter-Wave Opto-Electronic Oscillator

The next-generation 5G and 6G radio access networks (RANs) require high-purity millimeter-wave (mm-W) signals to improve the spectral efficiency and, consequently, the bit rate. We present a system based on an opto-electronic oscillator (OEO) to generate the low-phase-noise signal for up- and down-conversion that does not require a local oscillator at the base-station. The proposed system will improve the requirements of next-generation RANs. We review the state of the art and new results from the development of a single-loop OEO in the central-station of a RAN.