Ultra-Low Phase Noise, Ultra-Wide Band Silicon Photonics Millimeter-wave Signal Generators With Automatic Calibration

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Millimeter-wave (mm-wave) signal generation with ultra-low phase noise, ultra-wideband and high-resolution is an essential challenge for many applications including modern instrumentation, software-defined radios for wireless communications, radars, and warfare systems. While it is extremely challenging with conventional electronic signal generation technology, mm-wave silicon-photonics technology has the potential to provide mm-wave signal generators with simultaneous ultra-wide bandwidth, ultra-low phase noise, high frequency resolution and small footprint. Utilizing photonics modulators, filters and delay elements along with integrated electronics will allow the use of mm-wave silicon-photonics to fulfill these requirements. This project will demonstrate ultra-low phase noise, ultra-wideband, and high-resolution mm-wave silicon-photonics signal generators to advance wireless technologies for applications such as modern instrumentation, software-defined radios, radars, and warfare systems. The research has the potential to revolutionize the future of instrumentation and wireless industries and provide further technological diversification for the semiconductor industry. In addition to the aforementioned technical impacts, the project also promotes outreach activities to increase participation of under-represented groups in science and engineering, including annual summer camps for high school students. The research and educational results of this work will be disseminated to academic, industrial and government sectors.The main goal of this project is to develop novel chip-scale mm-wave silicon-photonics signal generator architectures with ultra-low phase noise, ultra-wideband, continuous tuning range, and high-resolution capabilities implemented using hybrid Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) photonics and Complementary-Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) chips. The emergence of silicon-photonics technology has enabled the potential of realizing silicon-photonics optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) to achieve microwave signal generation within the size and power consumption of small form-factor systems. However, the potential realization of existing silicon-photonics OEOs has two main challenges; first, the tuning range and phase noise are limited due to poor OEO architectural choices and, second, the photonics components’ initial responses are significantly distorted due to the process variation of silicon-photonics technology, so an automatic calibration methodology of these initial responses is missing. CMOS electronics can be employed along with the silicon-photonics OEO to perform phase/frequency locking, laser phase noise reduction, and automatic calibration of silicon-photonics components. Employing electronic control circuitry implemented on CMOS chip allows for the signal generator phase/frequency locking, laser phase noise reduction, and compensation of severe process and temperature variations in silicon-photonics. The research objectives are: (1) architecture definition of a mm-wave silicon-photonics signal generator based on an integrated phase/frequency-locked OEO with laser phase noise cancellation along with performance analysis, (2) development of a novel silicon-photonics OEO architecture and its components including modulator, filter and delay element, and algorithms/hardware for their automatic tuning, (3) implementation of novel CMOS prototypes which include the OEO electronic circuitry, laser phase noise reduction, phase/frequency locking loop and automatic tuning hardware, and (4) hybrid integration of silicon-photonics and CMOS chips and perform the required tests for the entire unit.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.