Photonic vector mm-wave signal generation by optical dual-SSB modulation and a single push-pull MZM

We propose and experimentally demonstrate single-sideband (SSB) photonic vector millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal generation enabled by optical dual-SSB modulation and a single push-pull Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM). We use software-based digital signal processing to generate the dual-SSB driving signal for the push-pull MZM. The dual-SSB driving signal has a vector-modulated sideband and an unmodulated sideband, which are spaced by our desired mm-wave carrier frequency. After linear modulation of the push-pull MZM, optical filtering, and single-ended photodiode detection, we can get an electrical mm-wave signal displaying the same vector modulation as the aforementioned vector-modulated sideband. Based on our proposed scheme, we experimentally demonstrate the generation and transmission of a 40 GHz mm-wave signal carrying 1 Gbaud 16-ary quadrature-amplitude-modulation or 4 Gbaud quadrature-phase-shift-keying transmitter data over a 10 km single-mode fiber-28 and 0.5 m air-space link, with a bit-error-ratio less than the hard-decision forward-error-correction threshold.