Cross-Correlation Measurements of Phase Noise Induced by Relative Intensity Noise in Photodetectors

Up-converted phase noise, which is induced by the low-frequency relative intensity noise (RIN) of a laser through AM-PM conversion within a photodetector (PD), is first measured here by means of a cross-correlation method. Our proposed measurement system can isolate the RIN-induced phase noise from noise contributions of other components, such as amplifiers, modulators, and mixers. In particular, shot noise and thermal noise generated from the PD are also suppressed by this method, so that standalone characteristics of the RIN-induced phase noise can be obtained. Experimental results clearly show the quantitative relationship between the RIN-induced phase noise and the incident optical power of the PD. Our findings indicate that the least RIN-induced phase noise appeared at the saturation point of the PD, which is about -162 dBc/Hz at 10 kHz offset.