Photonic generation of arbitrary waveform microwave pulse based on tunable optoelectronic oscillator and a dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator

• We propose an arbitrary waveform microwave pulse generation system based on tunable optoelectronic oscillator (TOEO) structure and a dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator (DDMZM).
• The tunable carrier frequency range can be as large as tens of GHz.
• The phase of the generated microwave signal can be tuned in the range of −180° to 180°.
• The proposed scheme can realize the integration of frequency tuning, phase tuning, pulse modulation and radar transmitted waveform generation in the optical domain, which provides a guarantee of transmitting high-quality microwave signal in radar systems.

Photonic generation of arbitrary waveform microwave pulse with tunable carrier frequency and phase based on tunable optoelectronic oscillator (TOEO) and a dual-drive Mach–Zehnder modulator (DDMZM) is proposed. Utilizing the frequency tunability of TOEO, the carrier frequency of the microwave signal can be tuned by adjusting the wavelength of the tunable laser source (TLS) and the tunable range can be as large as tens of GHz. By controlling the signals applied to DDMZM, the generation of arbitrary waveform microwave pulse with tunable phase in the range of −180° to 180° is achieved. The proposed scheme can realize the integration of frequency tuning, phase tuning, pulse modulation and radar transmitted waveform generation in the optical domain, which provides a guarantee of transmitting high-quality microwave signal in radar systems.