Microwave photonics applications of stimulated Brillouin scattering

Generation, processing, and sensing of microwave signals using photonic technologies offer immunity from electromagnetic interference, allow high-speed operation over a wide frequency range, and reduce the overall system weight. Recent developments in integrated photonic technologies further increase the attractiveness of photonics-based radio frequency (RF) systems. Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), due to its inherently narrow bandwidth, wavelength transparent nature, low threshold, and bandwidth reconfigurability, has emerged as a potential contender for microwave photonic (MWP) generation and signal processing. In this article, we present a review of recent developments in the area of SBS-based MWP. We discuss different SBS-based techniques for realizing some of the key MWP signal processing functionalities such as RF generation, filtering, and true time delay. Implementation of these tasks using fiber and on-chip platforms is presented along with the effect of system parameters such as dispersion on their performance. Novel architectures to mitigate these impairments are discussed.