Optical vector analysis with attometer resolution, 90-dB dynamic range and THz bandwidth

Abstract: Optical vector analysis (OVA) having the capability to achieve magnitude and phase responses is essential for fabrication and application of emerging optical devices. However, the conventional OVA often have to make compromises among resolution, dynamic range and bandwidth. Modulation-based OVA promises ultra-high resolution but suffers from measurement errors due to the modulation nonlinearity, narrow bandwidth restricted by the employment of microwave and optoelectronic devices, and difficulties in measuring optical devices with deep notch restricted by small signal modulation or the high-order sidebands. This paper proposes an original method to meet the measurement requirements for ultra-wide bandwidth, ultra-high resolution and ultra-large dynamic range simultaneously, based on asymmetric optical probe signal generator (ASG) and receiver (ASR). The use of the ASG and ASR not only doubles the measurement range without spectral aliasing, but also removes the measurement errors introduced by the modulation nonlinearity. The optimal signal modulation and enormous sideband suppression ratio in the ASG enables an ultra-large dynamic range. Thanks to the wavelength-independence of the ASG and ASR, the measurement range can boost to 2N times by applying an N-tone optical frequency comb (OFC) without complicated operation. In an experiment, OVA with a record resolution of 334 Hz (2.67 attometer in the 1550-nm band), a dynamic range of >90 dB and a measurement range of 1.025 THz is demonstrated.