Broad tunable photonic microwave generation in an optically pumped spin-VCSEL with optical feedback stabilization

We propose and numerically demonstrate a photonic microwave generation scheme based on the dynamic period-one oscillation of a solitary spin-polarized vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (spin-VCSEL). The evolution of the oscillation amplitude, frequency, power, and linewidth of the generated microwave is systematically investigated by using two-dimensional maps. The results show that the generated microwave signals with a dominant linewidth of about 3 MHz have a broad tunable frequency (from several gigahertz to hundreds of gigahertz), which benefits from the birefringence-induced oscillation in spin-VCSELs. Moreover, with the help of optical feedback, the microwave linewidth can be effectively minimized (similar to 51 kHz) by increasing the feedback strength and feedback delay time. Importantly, this Letter offers prospects for applications requiring a feasible and resource-efficient microwave source in microwave photonic fields. (C) 2021 Optical Society of America

Automated summary

A photonic microwave generation scheme based on dynamic period-one oscillation of a solitary spin-polarized vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser is proposed and numerically demonstrated. The generated microwave signals have a broad tunable frequency and the microwave linewidth can be effectively minimized with optical feedback. This offers prospects for applications requiring a feasible and resource-efficient microwave source in microwave photonic fields.