Wideband image-reject RF channelization based on soliton microcombs (invited paper)

Abstract

Wideband radio frequency (RF) channelization is essential for the reception and detection of cross-band RF signals in various applications, including communications, radar, and spectrum sensing. However, digital channelizers are inefficient at performing RF channelization over a working bandwidth above 10 GHz. Meanwhile, current photonic RF channelizers face challenges in simultaneously considering a wideband, multi-channel, and a high crosstalk suppression ratio. In this work, we proposed and demonstrated a wideband image-reject RF channelization scheme based on integrated dual-soliton microcombs. The dual-soliton microcombs are used for RF spectral copies and heterodyne detection, respectively. Supported by image-reject mixers, the RF channelization is verified with an 8–37 GHz working bandwidth, a 1.2 GHz channel bandwidth, and 25 channels. The image suppression ratio is higher than 34 dB for single-tone signals and 20 dB for wideband signals. Our approach provides an innovative architecture of integrated photonic RF channelizers with high performance, which can benefit a wide range of RF applications by miniaturizing the systems.