Wdeband frequency-tunable optoelectronic oscillator with a directly modulated AIGaInAs/InP integrated twin-square microlaser

We propose and demonstrate an optoelectronic oscillator with a directly modulated AlGaInAs/InP integrated twin-square microlaser for generating wideband frequency-tunable microwave signals with low phase noise. Apart from the relaxation oscillation peak, the modulation response of the twin-square microlaser working at the mutual optical injection state exhibits a significant enhancement around the beating frequency of the lasing modes in the two square cavities owing to the photon-photon resonance. A self-sustaining oscillation can be generated around the modulation response peak with the lowest loop loss occurring at the relaxation oscillation frequency or the beating frequency, depending on the practical state of the twin-square microlaser. High-quality tunable microwave signals ranging from 2.22 to 19.52 GHz are generated with single sideband phase noises below -110 dBc/Hz at the 10 kHz offset frequency and side-mode suppression ratios of approximately 40 dB by tuning the injection currents of the twin-square microlaser. (C) 2018 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement