title: Silicon slow-light-based photonic mixer for microwave-frequency conversion applications.
abstract: We describe and demonstrate experimentally a method for photonic mixing of microwave signals by using a silicon electro-optical Mach-Zehnder modulator enhanced via slow-light propagation. Slow light with a group index of ~11, achieved in a one-dimensional periodic structure, is exploited to improve the upconversion performance of an input frequency signal from 1 to 10.25 GHz. A minimum transmission point is used to successfully demonstrate the upconversion with very low conversion losses of ~7 dB and excellent quality of the received I/Q modulated QPSK signal with an optimum EVM of ~8%.
authors.affiliation: Nanophotonics Technology Center, Universitat Politecnica Valencia, Valencia, Spain. angucam@ntc.upv.es
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Gutiérrez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Brimont
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herrera
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aamer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Martí
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: F Y
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Gardes
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fedeli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sanchis