Tunable Narrow-Linewidth Photonic Microwave Generation Using Semiconductor Laser Dynamics

Generation of a broadly tunable narrow-linewidth microwave subcarrier on an optical wave by exploiting the nonlinear dynamics of a semiconductor laser through a proper combination of optical injection and optoelectronic feedback is experimentally demonstrated. The microwave frequency is generated by the period-one oscillation of an optically injected semiconductor laser. It is tuned in the range from 10 to 23 GHz by varying the optical injection strength, and its linewidth can be narrowed by optoelectronic feedback alone. The linewidth is reduced from the range of 40-120 MHz without stabilization by three orders of magnitude to the range of 10-160 kHz with stabilization through optoelectronic feedback alone. The effect of a small microwave modulation is also investigated. It reduces the linewidth to below the 1-kHz resolution limit of our instrument.