New modes of operation of the Photoparametric Amplifier for automotive applications

In automotive applications, the ability of optical wireless receiver amplifiers to detect fleeting signals at low energy is crucial. A new Photoparametric Amplifier (PPA) mode of operation is discussed in which the applied bias to the photodetector is minimised to maximise sensitivity for such applications. This is shown to be advantageous in terms of the desirable characteristics for PPA operation, leading to improved conversion efficiency and the potential for low noise operation. Furthermore, in experimental configuration, a nondegenerate mode is discussed which leads to optimum high gain at idler frequency. The original optical modulated signal at baseband frequency can be recovered again at high gain.