High-speed fiber-optic links for distribution of satellite traffic

Low-loss fiber-optic links are designed for distribution of data and the frequency reference in large-aperture phased-array antennas based on the transmit/receive-level data mixing architecture. In particular, design aspects of a fiber-optic link satisfying the distribution requirements of satellite data traffic are presented. The design is addressed in terms of reactively matched optical transmitter and receiver modules. Analog and digital characterization of a 50-m fiber-optic link realized using these modules indicates the applicability of this architecture as the only viable alternative for distribution of data signals inside a satellite at present. It is demonstrated that the design of a reactive matching modules enhances the link performance. A dynamic range of 88 dB/MHz was measured for analog data over 500-1000-MHz bandwidth.< >