Photonic‐microwave harmonic mixers based on electroabsorption modulators

Two harmonic photonic‐downconversion schemes employing electroabsorption modulators are proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Harmonic downconversion of 34‐Mb/s data modulated onto a 9.5‐GHz signal has been performed using (i) a single electroabsorption modulator, (ii) a Mach–Zehnder modulator and an electroabsorption modulator in series. Error‐free operation for both schemes is demonstrated after transmission of the IF signal through a 25‐km fiber‐optic link for harmonic orders of up to three. The influence of the biasing point of the modulator on the overall performance of both photonic downconversion schemes is discussed. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 41: 361–364, 2004; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/mop.20141