Optical Arbitrary Waveform Generator Using Incoherent Microwave Photonic Filtering

We propose a novel optical arbitrary waveform generator which allows us to control the generated waveform both in terms of the signal shape and the frequency tuning. The system is based on the amplitude modulation of a broadband signal which is sliced by a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and transmitted over a single-mode fiber link. The shape of the generated waveform can be controlled by the proper adjustment of the optical source power spectrum and its central frequency can be tuned using the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. We have experimentally demonstrated and theoretically validated the generation of signals with different shape achieving a frequency operation range of the system up to 40 GHz.