Photograph of the silicon nitride photonic chips used for frequency comb and photonic microwave generation. Credit: Junqiu Liu and Jijun He (EPFL).
Photograph of the silicon nitride photonic chips used for frequency comb and photonic microwave generation. Credit: Junqiu Liu and Jijun He (EPFL). Using integrated photonic chips fabricated at EPFL, scientists have demonstrated laser-based microwave generators. These microwave signals, as well as their optical carriers, could be used in radars, satellite communications and future 5G wireless networks. In our information society, the synthesis, distribution, and processing of radio and microwave signals are ubiquitous in wireless networks, telecommunications, and radars. The current tendency is to use carriers in higher frequency bands, especially with looming bandwidth bottlenecks due to demands for e.g. 5G and the "Internet of Things". "Microwave photonics", a combination of microwave engineering and optoelectronics, might offer a solution.
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