Photonic Signal Generation for Millimeter-Wave Communications

Future wireless communications systems will require data rates on the order of 10 Gb/s and greater to support the increased desire for high-speed data transfer for applications such as wireless personal area networking. Millimeter-wave photonic systems represent a well-suited approach to such broadband wireless communications because of the large bandwidths that can be supported, the favorable propagation characteristics of millimeter-wave radiation, and the ability to remote broadband signals over long distances in optical fiber. This article outlines recent work on millimeter-wave photonic communications systems operating at 40 and 60 GHz, where data rates up to 3 Gb/s are demonstrated. Current research is being conducted on the development of an 80-GHz system with the goal of achieving 10 Gb/s over distances of 100 m.