Photonic analog-to-digital conversion using multiple comparators and Mach-Zehnder modulators with identical half-wave voltages

A novel photonic analog-to-digital conversion scheme using Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZMs) with identical half-wave voltages and multiple comparators with improved bit resolution is proposed and demonstrated. Compared with the scheme using MZMs with geometrically scaled half-wave voltages, the proposed scheme has the advantage of using MZMs with identical half-wave voltages which simplify significantly the implementation. The bit resolution is improved based on the use of multiple comparators in each MZM channel, with the digital coding realized based on the symmetrical number system theory. A proof-of-concept experiment is implemented. An analog-to-digital converter with a 4-bit resolution using two MZMs and nine comparators is demonstrated.