Active integrated fiber-coupled receiving antenna

Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) networks take advantage of the high bandwidth and low losses of optical media to transport RF signals on an optical carrier. The highest level of convergence can be achieved by Fiber-to-the-Antenna (FTTA) setups. We demonstrate a highly integrated fiber-coupled receiving antenna that can be directly connected to a standard optical network. Without the need of external instrumentation, the antenna itself holds all necessary circuitry to convert the received signal to optical domain, i.e. a laser diode as well as its driver and preamplifiers. Using a Vivaldi antenna, a high relative bandwidth of 133% can be reached. The design and optimization of the antenna together with the electronics is shown and antenna system results are given and discussed.