Charles Middleton (Harris Corporation), Richard DeSalvo (Harris Corporation), Nestor Escalera (Harris Corporation)
Keywords: Photonic techniques, signal transport, wideband photonic-assisted frequency converter, space applications, microwave and millimeter wave transmission, photonic-assisted converter, reconfigurable backbone
Abstract:
Photonic techniques can be applied to microwave and millimeter wave transmission and signal processing challenges, including signal transport, distribution, filtering, and up- and down-conversion. We present measured performance results for a wideband photonic-assisted frequency converter with 4 GHz instantaneous bandwidth and full spectral coverage up to 45 GHz. The photonic-assisted converter is applicable for both ground and space applications. We show the system performance in a ground station application, in which high frequency analog signals were transported over a moderate distance and down-converted directly into a digitizing receiver. We also describe our progress in the packaging and space qualification of the photonic system, and discuss the next steps toward higher TRL. The photonic system provides an adaptive, agile, reconfigurable backbone for handling analog signals, with performance superior to existing microwave systems.
Date of Conference: September 9-12, 2014
Track: Poster