Committee:

Dr. Stephen Ralph, ECE, Chair , Advisor

Dr. John Cressler, ECE

Dr. Madhavan Swaminathan, ECE

Dr. Sorin Tibuleac, Adva Optical Networking

Dr. Peter Delfyett, UCF

Abstract: The goal of this research is to advance analog photonic communication systems through three major efforts: 1) to develop high performance microwave photonic filters, 2) to intrinsically linearize the integrated photonic component that contributes most to nonlinearities, i.e. the photonic modulator, and 3) to demonstrate microwave frequency tunable functions using integrated photonic platforms, e.g. frequency conversion. The first effort addresses a major need for microwave photonics, namely few-GHz or less optical filters. The second effort enhances the performance of current integrated modulators to achieve metrics suitable for demanding applications in defense, cellular fronthaul networks, and traditional telecom. The third effort provides necessary groundwork to enable the commercialization or implementation of next generation communication systems while advancing our understanding of such complex microwave photonic systems. The demonstration of microwave frequency tunable (“spectrally agile”) architectures includes the design, simulation, characterization, and intuitive understanding of such systems. Overall, this work addresses current and future needs in microwave photonics related industries by investigating both device-level and system-level solutions to achieve greater performance using integrated photonic technologies.