RESUMO
A scheme for the direct conversion of millimeter and THz waves to optical signals is introduced. The compact device consists of a plasmonic phase modulator that is seamlessly cointegrated with an antenna. Neither high-speed electronics nor electronic amplification is required to drive the modulator. A built-in enhancement of the electric field by a factor of 35,000 enables the direct conversion of millimeter-wave signals to the optical domain. This high enhancement is obtained via a resonant antenna that is directly coupled to an optical field by means of a plasmonic modulator. The suggested concept provides a simple and cost-efficient alternative solution to conventional schemes where millimeter-wave signals are first converted to the electrical domain before being up-converted to the optical domain.
RESUMO
Ultra-fast, continuously tunable true-time delays are key components in many microwave and optical communications subsystems. In this paper, we introduce and demonstrate a new implementation method of a continuously tunable true-time delay featuring a settling time in the order of tens of picoseconds. Our solution relies on the splitting and combining of complementary phased shifted spectra (CPSS). It works for large bandwidth signals, has a low complexity, offers moderate losses, and can be fully integrated.