A broadband and integrated microwave photonic transceiver

We propose and demonstrate a broadband integrated microwave photonic transceiver. It is composed of a highly-integrated optical carrier, an RF carrier and cartridge. Based on the photoelectric multi-chip micro-assembly technique, several RF and optical chips are assembled in a single module, which greatly promotes the integration of the microwave photonic transceiver. A lithium niobate on insulator Mach-Zehnder modulator (LNOI MZM) chip is adopted, making the optical carrier compatible for applications from 0.1 to 40 GHz. The 3dB-bandwidth of the optical carrier is simulated and measured, which exceeds 40 GHz. The measured phase fluctuation is ±5.5°. In order to enhance the gain of the transceiver, RF amplifiers are needed. A Ka-band transceiver is fabricated and tested. The gain exceeds -13 dB and -4 dB for the receiving path and transmitting path, separately. Such a broadband and integrated microwave photonic transceiver may facilitate the radio over fiber systems and microwave photonic radars.