A Photonic RF Phase Shifter Based on a Dual-Parallel Mach-Zehnder Modulator and an Optical Filter

摘要

A photonic RF phase shifter using a dual parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DPMZM) and a tunable optical band-pass filter is demonstrated. The dependences of the linearity and power stability of the proposed RF phase shifter on the performance of the DPMZM and the optical filter are theoretically analyzed and numerically simulated. In the experiment, a continuously tunable range of more than 450° phase shift and a small power variation of less than 1.6 dB for a wideband RF range (8-12 GHz) are achieved by simply tuning the bias voltage of the DPMZM. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical analysis.