Photonics-based techniques spearhead the generation of high-frequency signals in the millimeter-and Terahertz wave, crucial for ultrabroadband mobile wireless link development. Photonic integration is enabling to provide the photonic approach with added advantages of energy-efficiency, flexibility and scalability, in addition to signal quality. We present an optical heterodyne system based on a novel dual laser module containing two InP-Si ₃ N ₄ hybrid lasers with intracavity wavelength selective optical filters with output optical power per laser of up to 15 dBm (31 mW), wide wavelength tuning of about 60 nm, and narrow optical linewidth below 100 kHz. To the best of our knowledge, we present for the first time the continuous-wave generation of RF frequencies over a wide tuning range from C-band (4 GHz – 8-GHz) to W-band (75 GHz – 110 GHz) achieving record low RF electrical linewidth around 108 kHz and long-term drift < 12 MHz with two free-running lasers. This is the best beat-note linewidth obtained with such an integrated source in a free-runnning regime and with a wide tuning range ever reported.

We for the first time, the optical injection locking (OIL) to a frequency comb of a hybrid $\text{{InP-Si}}_{3}\text{{N}}_{4}$ dual laser source for high-purity mm-wave generation through optical heterodyning. Key performance parameters of the comb line demultiplexing functionality provided by this source under OIL – such as adjacent-comb-line side mode suppression ratio (SMSR) and locking range – are reported. It is also shown that the amount of free-running drift exhibited by the hybrid lasers (which should be as little as possible to keep them within the locking range) can be minimized by reducing the amount of bias level applied to the heater-based phase actuators present in such lasers. According to the measured drift, locking range and SMSR, these lasers have potential to achieve continuous locking with SMSR levels of more than 45 dB at comb line separations higher than 9 GHz. Successful carrier generation at 93 GHz is demonstrated by locking the two lasers to an optical frequency comb achieving an ultra-stable International Telecommunication Union (ITU)-compliant signal. Both real-time and DSP-aided data transmissions are demonstrated at this frequency achieving data rates of 12.5 and 28 Gbit/s, respectively.

Quantum transducers are key components for hybrid quantum networks, enabling the transfer of quantum states between microwave and optical photons. In the quantum community, many efforts have focused on creating and verifying the entanglement between microwave and optical fields in systems that typically operate at temperatures in the millikelvin range. Our goal is to develop an integrated microwave optical entanglement device based on a lithium niobate whispering gallery mode resonator (WGMR). To investigate the feasibility of developing such an integrated device, first, a passive photonic integrated circuit (PIC) was designed, fabricated, and characterized. The PIC was developed on a thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) on an insulator platform, and it includes eight ring resonators and four asymmetric Mach–Zehnder interferometers. This paper presents the design and operational principles of the integrated device for microwave–optical entanglement, as well as the results of the characterization of the passive PIC.

We report an experimental characterization of the long-term stability of a local oscillator (LO) signal generation module for satellite communications based on the optical heterodyning of two InP/Si ₃ N ₄ hybrid integrated lasers. Specifically, we analyze simultaneously the wavelength drift of both lasers in the optical domain and the electrical drift of the generated radiofrequency (RF) beat between the lasers. We identify the main factors that contribute to the overall drift such as the electrical noise coming from the supply sources, the thermal noise coming from the temperature control unit, and the thermal crosstalk between lasers. This investigation compares the stability of an RF signal generated by two approaches. Using two integrated lasers and using a combination of one integrated laser with one external laser. This work also analyzes the difference when lasers are mounted over a standard breadboard with a thermally-controlled. The results show that the best approach is to use both integrated lasers on the same chip. We report a 25 GHz RF signal with long-term stability of 30 MHz measured over 10 hours under free-running operation mode. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrate that integrated lasers can be stabilized by using injection locking. We experimentally demonstrate the optical injection locking of two hybrid InP/Si3N4 lasers when the leader laser and the follower laser are both hybrid integrated lasers of same system on chip. When the laser is locked, we report a locking range of 1.86 GHz.

This paper presents an integrated tunable hybrid multi-laser module designed to simultaneously generate multiple radiofrequency (RF) local oscillator (LO) signals through optical heterodyning. The device consists of five hybrid InP/Si₃N₄ integrated lasers, each incorporating an intracavity wavelength-selective optical filter formed by two micro-ring resonators. Through beating the wavelengths generated from three of these lasers, we demonstrate the simultaneous generation of two LO signals within bands crucial for satellite communications (SatCom): one in the Ka-band and the other in the V-band. The device provides an extensive wavelength tuning range across the entire C-band and exhibits exceptionally narrow optical linewidths, below 40 kHz in free-running mode. This results in ultra-wideband tunable RF signals with narrow electrical linewidths below 100 kHz. The system is compact and highly scalable, with the potential to generate up to 10 simultaneous LO signals, being a promising solution for advanced RF signal generation in high throughput satellite payloads.

This paper introduces a theoretical framework for designing and tuning band-pass filters with a highly extended periodicity using cascaded Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) networks. We show that a filter centered at frequency f₀ with a bandwidth of FSR₀ and an arbitrarily large free spectral range (FSR) can be built with a minimal number of MZIs by using stages with FSRs that are prime multiples of FSR₀. Due to the inherent multi-spectral transparency of materials, this design ensures that only a single narrow passband is transparent. We derive the total power transmission for such a cascaded system and show that the filter’s overall periodicity is the product of the individual MZI transfer functions. Furthermore, we deduce the linear relationship between the applied differential voltage and the resulting frequency shift, offering a precise method for continuous spectral tuning without altering the filter’s intrinsic FSR. We propose a new, simplified electronic circuit that uses a single input current and series impedances for continuous resonant peak tuning and analyze the feasibility of such a design. This circuit improves practical implementation and allows for compensation of fabrication errors. This work offers crucial analytical tools and insights for developing advanced reconfigurable photonic integrated filters, essential for future optical communication and sensing systems.