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Ultraflat and broadband optical frequency comb generator based on cascaded two dual-electrode Mach–Zehnder modulators

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Abstract

A novel scheme for the generation of ultraflat and broadband optical frequency comb (OFC) is proposed based on cascaded two dual-electrode Mach–Zehnder modulators (DE-MZM). The first DE-MZM can generate a four-comb-line OFC, then the OFC is injected into the second DE-MZM as a carrier, which can increase the number of comb lines. Our modified scheme finally can generate a broadband OFC with high flatness by simply modifying the electrical power and the bias voltage of the DE-MZM. Theoretical analysis and simulation results reveal that a 16-comb-line OFC with a frequency spacing that two times the frequency of the RF signal can be obtained. The power fluctuation of the OFC lines is 0.48 dB and the unwanted-mode suppression ratio (UMSR) can reach 16.5 dB. Additionally, whether the bias drift of the DE-MZMs has little influence on the power fluctuation is also analyzed. These results demonstrate the robustness of our scheme and verify its good accuracy and high stability with perfect flatness.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61231012 and 61401502).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Air Force Engineering University, Xi’an, China

    Kun Qu, Shanghong Zhao, Xuan Li & Zihang Zhu

  2. China Academy of Space Technology, Xi’an, 710000, China

    Qinggui Tan

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  1. Kun Qu
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  2. Shanghong Zhao
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  3. Xuan Li
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  4. Qinggui Tan
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  5. Zihang Zhu
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Correspondence to Kun Qu.

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Qu, K., Zhao, S., Li, X. et al. Ultraflat and broadband optical frequency comb generator based on cascaded two dual-electrode Mach–Zehnder modulators. Opt Rev 25, 264–270 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10043-018-0417-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10043-018-0417-4

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