Phase noise insensitivity of RF envelope detection and its application to OFDM radio over fiber systems

•Insensitivity to phase noise of envelope detection is theoretically proven and experimentally confirmed.•Successful generation and transmission of 640-Mbps OFDM signals at 60 GHz was achieved.•Results show the significant effect of the relative intensity noise but a minimal impact of the fiber chromatic dispersion.

The insensitivity to phase noise of envelope detection in mobile terminals is theoretically proven and experimentally confirmed. Successful generation and transmission of 640-Mbps OFDM signals at 60 GHz was achieved by heterodyning phase-uncorrelated laser signals with a combined linewidth closed to 1 MHz. Experimental results show the significant effect of the relative intensity noise but a minimal impact of the fiber chromatic dispersion, making this technique a cost-efficient candidate for long-reach RoF systems.