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Testing High-Resolution Optical Spectrum Analyzers for Characterization of Analog Optical Links with External Modulation

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Measurement Techniques Aims and scope

The characterization of analog optical links was examined, and it is shown that the study, accounting, and reduction of nonlinearities introduced by the elements of an optical link into the output signal during photodetection are of particular practical interest. Methods for the analysis of nonlinear distortions of analog optical paths with external modulation are presented, and it is proposed to use high-resolution optical spectrum analyzers for their characterization. The analysis methods use the results of measurements of the optical spectrum, which directly characterize the optical signal of the link without taking into account the effect of nonlinearities introduced during photodetection. An analytical model of the process of modulation of monochromatic light radiation by a two-tone radio frequency signal using an electro-optical Mach–Zehnder modulator is presented. The mutual interaction between the nonlinear spectral components of the optical modulated signal and the radio frequency signal at the photodetector output was examined. The optical and radio frequency spectra of AOL signals were experimentally studied on a specially assembled measurement stand. The results of experiments on measuring the spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of analog optical paths using high-resolution radio frequency and optical spectrum analyzers are presented. Possible reasons for the degradation of the SFDR during photodetection are discussed. Using an analytical model of the nonlinearities of the Mach–Zehnder modulator, the contribution of the nonlinearity of photodetection to the distortions of the output signal of the optical link was experimentally estimated, and the differences in the power of cross-modulation products for high frequency photodiodes of two types were demonstrated.

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Acknowledgment

This study was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR), Project No. 20-37-90119.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Nuclear University MEPhI (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute), Moscow, Russia

    V. A. Nebavskii & R. S. Starikov

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  1. V. A. Nebavskii
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  2. R. S. Starikov
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Correspondence to V. A. Nebavskii.

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Translated from Izmeritel’naya Tekhnika, No. 12, pp. 40–45, December, 2022.

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Nebavskii, V.A., Starikov, R.S. Testing High-Resolution Optical Spectrum Analyzers for Characterization of Analog Optical Links with External Modulation. Meas Tech 65, 909–916 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11018-023-02177-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11018-023-02177-x

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