http://www.hfoscillators.com/apskhanna/articles/IMS1985_Fiber

H-15 OPTICALLY P.R.

Herczf

eld*,

* **

A.S.

CON17R0LLED MICFOWAVE DEVICES AND CIRCUITS

Daryoush*,

Dept. of Electrical ~, ~vid SanOff

+ I.CRAL-ATL,

Lanham,

V.M.

Contarino*,

and Computer Research ~b.,

A.

Engineering, prin~et~n,

OPTICALLY

resonator

oscillator

~N71’FOTLLED,PIN

Univ.,

and A.P. S.

Phila.,

K&a+

PA.

ato~~?;t~otl?’%i?w% ‘Y; ~g ;;t$i the P+ and N+ contact layers respectively.

In order to increase light coupling to the dev$ce, windcws were etched at the center above the P N juncticn.

This way, the optical input could penetrate to the active layer, where it is absorlxd.

The control of the etching process is particularly crucial to device performance since it is desirable to qet close to the junction without adversely effecting it.

It should & noted that this fabrication technique is compatible with proven mcnolith.ic mi.crcwave integrated circuit processing techni.wes and furthermore, IMPATT dicdes could be that in a similar fashion. .prepared .

There has been continued and increasing interest over the past few years in the control of microwave devices and circuits with optical signals (1,2).

This interest has been generated partially by the availability of new, hiqh electrmptic ~Ped $ devices (dicde lasers, modulators, switches, etc.) and by the development of more sophisticated microwave systems which require better and faster control.

The rmmolithic integration of electrmptic and microwave devices to prcduce self-contained compnents and subsystems to perform such microwave control functions as switching, limiting, phase-shifting, phase-lccking, oscillator tuning and amplifier gain control is feasible.

Optical control of microwave systems may lead to new applications such as light weight and low cost airborne phased array radars, which are difficult to achieve with present teclmolcgies.

The advantages of optical. control include: short respnse time, high mxlulation rates, inherent high W and reverse signal isolation, compatibility with optical fiber communication systems, immunity to electromagnetic interference and low cost.

Two experiments are repxted.

The first is concerned with optically stimulated microwave PIN diciles, the second with optical tuning and injection a dielectric

Drexel N.J.

Turski+,

Microwave and fabrication.

PIN device design devices and monolithic circuits are fabricated from high resi.stivity materials (GaAs, Si) which are also sensitive to optics] excitation.

The mcst difficult task in the optical control of microwave devices has been the efficient coupling of the light to the active region.

To overcome this problem a mxli.fied wmi microwave PIN diode with an optical. port designed, as shown in Fig. 1.

The d~vice is fabricated from a high resistivity (3-5x1O” ohm-cm) N type Si wafer.

The 140/4m Si wafers were doped with Boron and Phosphorous on o~site surfaces.

Junction depths of 23fim for the P N junction and 20 ~m for the N+N junction were established through two-pint spread-resistance and SIMS measurements

IN17RO~ION

of

Z.

MD.

optically growing interest in There is a ‘?’his controlled microwave devices and systems. paper is concerned with two experiments in this The first describes the design, emerging area. fabrication and appl.icatj.on of optically controlled microwave PIN dicdes.

The utilization of these devices for phase-shi.fting and switching at X-band was demonstrated.

The second experiment involved the optical tuning and indirect optical injection locking of a X-band dielectric resonator oscillator.

A locking range of 400 KHz was achieved utilizing a third harmonic.

lccking

Rosen **,

Zd!!!!L (a)

Fig. 1.

Conceptual PIN diode; (a) before with optical input.

(b)

representation and (b) after

microwave of mcxlification

(DRO).

W frequency characterization of the PIN. Low frequency measurements were ~rformed on the–devices to determine if the capacitance and resistance of the PIN is indeed a function of optical input, to verify that they behave as three terminal devices.

The variation of capacitance and resistance as a function of biasing voltage at different lig”ht intensities was measured on a 110 MHz bridge (Fi,g.

2).

The dicxle, as expcted, behaves like a three termi.ml device.

When the diode is not illuminated

DIODE

The fundamental concept for optically controlled junction devices is to use the optical. i.llumi.nation as an additional terminal thromgh which the device In the case of a PIN behavior can be controlled. dicde, which is a two terminal device, the optical terminal the affectinq p3rt third acts as a resistance and the capacitance of the device.

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1985 IEEE

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optical inpul~

it behaves like standard microwave PIN diode.

Gn the other hand, when the reverse biased dicde is illuminated from the top, capacitance increases by accompanied by a 25% at light intensities of lW/cmz, These changes are reduction in shunt resistance. caused by the optically generated carriers in the intrinsic region.

The dependence of the capacitance and shunt resistance on the wavelength of the incident radiation was also investigated.

The results indicate that the wavelength dependence is simply governed by the absorption coefficient.

Based on these initial. measurements one can predict that by varying the device parameters (geometry and miiterial) and (biasing operating conditions ~tential), the optically stimulated PIN wauld have a faster respnse time, greater sensitivity and more versatile performance than conventional micrcwave PINs .

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dicrle, its S-parameters were fitted to a standard PIN equivalent circuit.

The elements of the circyits were found using Super-compact (eAD) optimization routines. results were These extended to a phase-shifter optimization routine to determine how to improve overall performance.

The results of the optimization indicate that the limiting factor in the performance of the phase-shifter is the initial shunt capacitance.

This is responsible for the high loss.

The insertion (dark ) shunt initial capacitance can be minimized by reducing the size of the di&ie, which lead to would enhanced @ase-shifter performance.

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BIAS PWENTIAL (V] (b)

Fig. 2. variation reverse

Bridge measurement of PIN dicde at 110 MHz; v Of (a) resistance and (b) capacitance bias ~tential under illumination (Iwjcm 5. )

In the second e~riment, the PIN dicxle was used as a switch i.n a MIC Gunn oscillator circuit, as When il.lumj.nated, the PIN bridges shcwn in Fig. 5. the gap between the resonator and the stub, thus changing the reactance of the circuit and hence its resonant frequency (3).

Using this approacl~, the oscillator was tuned up to 60 MHz at .5 V biasing,

and dark.

Test of the optically controlled PIN at X-band.

The optically stimulated PIN diodes could functicm in microwave circuits as phase-shifters, attenuators, limiters, modulators and switches.

Two e-ri~ts were performed to asses the ~tential of the device for microwave applications.

In the first experiment the dicdes were incorpxated into a coplanar MIC phase-shifter configuratia, as shown in Fig. 3.

The dicdes were reverse biased at 20 V, illuminated by a white light source (lW/cm2), which caused a phase-shift that was mnitored on an error corrected network analyzer.

A I.inear phase-shj.ft of over 10° with a 152 bandwidth at 10 ~ was cksserved, as shown in Fig. 4.

The phase-shift varied directly with illumination.

To obtain a high frequency equivalent circuit of a three termiml PIN

LED

Ilkl

G(JNN ox

PIN diode

Fig. 5. Conceptual representation Gunn oscillator circuit

by PIN

212

of optically switch.

tuned

and frquency 6.

‘This optimization

The mncept used in cmr Experimental procedure. experimentation is shcwn in Fig. 7.

To enhance the range of the injection locked oscillator two optical. are utilized. signals The K optical signal illuminating the photosensitive element cm top of the dielectric resonator serves the pu~e of tuning the DFt’ frequency to the proximity of the master oscillator.

In essence, the opt icd illumination replaces the mechanical tuning screw With this technique a tuning range of nearly (3,7). one MHs has been demonstrated using a 1 mW IR LEO source. (up to 12 -of t~ingwas attained at optical flux of 1 W/cm .)

The optical tuning is a 1.inear function of light intensity, it ks no adverse effect on the DRO performance and it is extremely fast (7).

The semnd optical signal, the AC signal mdulated by the master oscillator, is mupled to the DRO circuit via a high-s~ed FIN dicde photodetector.

This methcd is considered to be an indirect optical injection linking scheme because the optical signal is first converted into an electrical signal by the PIN and then injected to the FIT.

madulatsd at 300 MHz as shown in Fig. analyzed and an also circuit was procedure i.s presently being developed.

Fig. 6. Narrow band FM spectrum (Horizontal scale 100MHz\div).

Discussion.

An

optically

of

Gunn

oscillator

controlled

microwave

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PIN dimle was fabricated from high resistivity N–t~ Si and characterized at lcw frequencies the (110 MHZ) and at X-band.

In particular, PIN dicxle was controlled microwave optically implemented as a phase-shifter and switch i.n The experimental. results of the microwave circuits. ncdifieii micrcwave PIN clicxl.e confirmed that the optical ~rt behaves as a control terminal.

The results also indicated that the device has ptential. in a variety of microwave circuits. applications These experiments provided important information linking device design to performance and thus provide direction for further ;.mprovements.

OITICALLY

Fig. 7. frequency locking.

Conceptual tuning

representation and indirect

of DFu)’s optical. optical injecticn

Indirect optical injection locking of oscillatc~rs is, in principle, identical. to electrical injection locking.

‘1’M.s approach has two desirable features.

First, it takes advantage of gocd optical coupling efficiencies of the high-speed photcfietector (large active region ).

Second, it utiLizes the nonlinearity of the PIN device to generate higher order harmnics from the laser output, thereby making injection locking at hi gh.er pssible frequencies.

Due to the optical frequency tuninq capability and enhanced optical coupling to the PIN, improved injection locking can be attained.

A commercially available X-band (10.8 GHZ) DR3 with an external Q of 1000, manufactured & A packaged laser diode Mitsubishi (8), was used. and optical PIN detector manufactured

by Ortel were used for the optical. compnents.

These particular devices were not equiped with filx?roptic pigtails, which resulted in considerable optical losses (wer 10 dB).

The laser was mcxlul.ated at 3.6 GHz and the third harmmic output signal of the PIN was injected to the DR3 circuit using a three port circulator. rmnitored on a s~ctrum The output of the DRO was analyzer as shcwn in Fig. 8.

A pulling range of 400 KHz was observd, which !.s in gcod agreement with the theoretical prediction The spectra for the measured injectel ~er level. locked of the unlocked oscillator and injection oscillator are shown in Fig. 9. The reduction in FM noise is evident.

CON?XT3LLED DRO HPERIMENI’S

One propsed application of optically controlled microwave systems is an airkorne phased array (l), consisting of spatially di.stributd antenna individual MIC oscillators (array elements) which are synchroniz~ by a mdulated optical. signal via a This tectii.~e distribution netmrk. fiberoptic offers ptential advantages in electrical. isolaticm, sps+ed, inmwnity to 1941, cost and a very signj.ficant The main difficulty reduction in size and weiqht. is a small optical in achieving such a system primarily due to two injection locking range, ICW modulation depth of lasers at high factors, fregpencies and por optical mupling efficiency into the active region of the microwave devices To overcome some of these limitatims an (4-6) .

Results of alternate apprcach is considered here. employing the combined effect of indirect optical subharmonic injection l.ccking and optical. tuning of the Dl%) for extended locking range are presented A DIZl oscillator circuit was selected for belcw. this study; DR3s provide god te~rature stability and spectral purity at a reasonable cost which makes Okher On the them desirable for many applications. hand, the DR3 is an inherently high Q circuit and therefore requires more injected per to attain a reasonable pulling range.

213

REFERENCES

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., w

‘tY-El

-.

10. ZIO .310

3

3f,3.

1. J.R.

Forrest and A.A. .Salles, “optics Control Microwaves,” flicrowave Systems News, June 1981, pp. 112-122.

2. “Optical-Microwave Interaction Study”Repxt preprd

by Georgia Tech. for the Air ForceReprt# F33615-O-1709.

3. P.R. Herczfeld, A.S. Daryoush, V.M. Contarino, “Optically TurLed and Mcdul.ated X-band Oscillator Circuits,” Prcx., SPI~, 1St International Conference on Integrated Optical Engineering, POston, Mass., October 1984.

4. H.W. Yen,” OPtical Iniection Lockina of Si IMPA’tT “ A@. “~ys.

L&t., ‘36(8), April.

Oscillators, 1980, pp. 680-683.

5. A.J. Seeds and J.R. Forrest, “Initial.

Observations of Optical Injection Iccking of an X-band IMPA’IT Oscillator,” Electronics Letters, 14, py. 829–830.

1978.

6. A.A. De Sal.les, “Optical Control of Ml?SFET’s,” IEEE-MIT-31, pp. 812-820, Oct. 1983.

7. P.R. Herczfeld, A. Daryoush, C. D’ Ascenzo, A. Rosen, M. Contarino, “optically Tuned and FM Ycx3ulate6 Dielectric F.esonator Oscillator,” Prcc ~, 14th European Microwave Conference, Liege, Elelglum, Sept.

1.984, pp. 268–273.

8. O. Ishihara, T. 1+.xi, H. Sawano, and M. Nakatani, “A Highly Stabilized GaAs FE1’ Oscillator Usinq a Dielectric Resonator Feedback Circuit in 9-14 G&,” IEEE-MIT-28, pp.817-824, Auq. 1980.

———

At

RF

SPECTRUM ANALYZER

‘o b

Fig.

8.

E~rimental

set-up.

(a)

(b) Fig. ~. experiment beginingof

S~ctra of representing locking,

the

DRU in iniection lcckina a 400 KHz pul~l.ing range, (a; (b) gettingof locking.

proved the Discussion.

The experiments feasibility—of indirect subharmonic optical. injection locking of DRO oscillators at X-band.

T& combined effect of optical tuning and injection yielded a lccki.ng range. locking respectable Optimization of the experiment has commenced.

In particular, present wcxk includes improvement of the optical Link between the laser and the PIN detector, integration of the PIN into t’ne MIC oscillator l.ockinq of circuit and simultaneous injection several spatially distributed oscillators.

ACKNCXWLEEGE2@ilW The authors ICRAL-ATL and their generous

wish to the Naval supprt.

thank RCA Corp.

Air Development

(GCS Div.), Center for

214