VCSEL-based RF photonics over multimode fiber

Abstract

We present the evaluation of VCSEL-based RF photonic components. Research in low SWAP/Cost components is a relatively new field in RF photonics (previous work targets high-end performance, mainly centered on achieving high SFDR but at high SWAP/cost). The measured performance would support typical antenna remoting or RF signal distribution applications. The clearest applications are those requiring extreme isolation, low-phase noise, compact size, low power consumption, multiple-independent channels and/or flexible cabling. These applications arise in both military and commercial markets. We specifically examined the RF transmission needs for GPS user-equipment (UE) and identified the benefits from the use of VCSEL-based RF links.