Optoelectronic Frequency Synthesizer with Femtosecond Diode Laser (oFFeDi)

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Martin Hofmann; Professor Dr.-Ing. Christoph Scheytt
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2017 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 370491995

• Final Report Year: 2021

Final Report Abstract

The project aimed at the investigation and realization of low-noise optoelectronic PLL frequency synthesizers (OEPLL) with mode-locked diode lasers as reference oscillators. Within the project, different approaches for mode-locked laser diode systems were investigated with respect to their jitter characteristics. For the first time, a self-mode-locked diode laser with an external resonator was demonstrated and analyzed, and a comparison of self-mode-locking to passive mode-locking was performed for the first time. However, all diode lasers investigated delivered jitter values that are clearly too high for the application targeted here as an optical reference oscillator. Furthermore, the OEPLL was investigated mathematically and experimentally and it was shown that low-noise mode- locked fiber lasers can be used to realize optoelectronic frequency synthesizers based on the con- cept of the OEPLL with several octaves of tuning range and excellent phase noise. In particular, record values were achieved with respect to the tuning range and it was shown that the phase noise of the OEPLL is significantly lower than that of the best purely electronic frequency synthesizers at a comparable tuning range.

Publications

• Octave-Band Microwave Frequency Synthesizer Using Mode-Locked Laser as a Reference. In: 2019 International Topical Meeting on Microwave Photonics (MWP), S. 1-4, Ottawa, ON, Canada, Canada, 7. - 10. Okt. 2019
  Bahmanian, Meysam; Tiedau, Johannes; Silberhorn, Christine; Scheytt, Christoph
  
• Theory of an Optoelectronic Microwave Phase-locked Loop based on a MLL reference and MZM-based Optoelectronic Phase Detection. In: Modellierung photonischer Komponenten und Systeme, Meiningen, Deutschland, Jan. 2019
  Bahmanian, Meysam; Scheytt, Christoph
  
• Amplitude noise and RF response analysis of 1 GHz mode-locked pulses from an InP- based laser chip at 1550 nm. 2020 IEEE Photonics Conference (IPC), Vancouver, BC, Canada, IEEE
  M. A. Alloush, M. van Delden, A. Bassal, C. Brenner, T. Musch, M. C. Lo, L. Augustin, R. Guzmán, G. Carpintero, M. R. Hofmann
  
• Comparison of self-mode-locking in monolithic and external cavity diode laser at 1550 nm. Proceedings SPIE Photonics West Volume 11301, Novel In-Plane Semiconductor Lasers XIX; 113011T (2020)
  M. A. Alloush, A. Bassal, C. Brenner, C. Fortin, K. Mekhazni, K. Mekhazni, C. Calò, M.R. Hofmann
  
• Femtosecond RMS timing jitter from 1 GHz InP on-chip mode-locked laser at 1550 nm. Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics / Pacific Rim 2020, Sydney Australia, OSA Technical Digest (Optical Society of America, 2020), paper C4C_2
  M. A. Alloush, A. Bassal, C. Brenner, M. C. Lo, R. Guzmán, L. Augustin, G. Carpintero, M. R. Hofmann
  
• Self-mode-locking and chirp compensation in an external cavity diode laser at 1550 nm. Proceedings SPIE Photonics Europe Volume 11356, Semiconductor Lasers and Laser Dynamics IX; 113560H (2020)
  M. A. Alloush, A. Bassal, C. Brenner, C. Fortin, K. Mekhazni, P. Gamarra, C. Calò, M.R. Hofmann
  
• Ultra-Low Phase Noise Frequency Synthesis for THz Communications Using Optoelectronic PLLs. In: International Workshop on mobile THZ Systems (IWMTS), 2. - 3. Jul. 2020 IWMTS
  cheytt, Christoph; Wrana, Dominik; Bahmanian, Meysam; Kallfass, Ingmar
  
• Wide- Band Frequency Synthesizer with Ultra-Low Phase Noise Using an Optical Clock Source. In: 2020 IEEE/MTT-S International Microwave Symposium (IMS), Los Angeles, CA, USA, USA, 4. - 6. Aug. 2020, IEEE
  Bahmanian, Meysam; Fard, Saeed; Koppelmann, Bastian; Scheytt, Christoph
  
• A 2-20-GHz Ultralow Phase Noise Signal Source Using a Microwave Oscillator Locked to a Mode-Locked Laser. IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 69(3): S. 1635-1645, Mrz. 2021
  Bahmanian, Meysam; Scheytt, Christoph
  
• Femtosecond pulse generation from external cavity diode laser based on self-mode-locking. Optics Letters - Vol. 46, Issue 2, pp. 344-347 (2021)
  Mohammad Ali Alloush, Carsten Brenner, Cosimo Calo, Martin R. Hofmann
  
• Passive- and self-mode-locking based ultrashort pulse generation in monolithic diode laser at 1550 nm. SPIE Photonics West Digital Forum, 06.-11.03. 2021
  M.A. Alloush, N. Kleemann, L. Braun , C. Brenner, M. Zander, W. Rehbein, M. Moehrle, M. R. Hofmann
  
• RF Analysis of a Sub-GHz InP-Based 1550 nm Monolithic Mode-Locked Laser Chip. IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 33, 828 (2021)
  M. A. Alloush, M. van Delden, A. Bassal, N. Kleemann, C. Brenner, M.-C. Lo, L. Augustin, R. Guzman, T. Musch, G. Carpintero, and M. R. Hofmann