Abstract
We report a broadband microwave frequency converter based on a coherent
Kerr optical micro-comb generated by an integrated micro-ring resonator.
The coherent micro-comb displays features that are consistent with
soliton crystal dynamics with an FSR of 48.9-GHz. We use this to
demonstrate a high-performance millimeter-wave local oscillator at
48.9-GHz in the Q-band for microwave frequency conversion. We
experimentally verify the microwave performance up to 40 GHz, achieving
a ratio of −6.8 dB between output RF power and IF power and a spurious
suppression ratio of > 43.5 dB. The experimental results
show good agreement with theory and verify the effectiveness of
microwave frequency converters based on coherent optical micro-combs,
with the ability to achieve reduced size, complexity, and potential
cost.