Microwave Pulse Generation With a Silicon Dual-Parallel Modulator

Compact and integrated microwave pulse generation can benefit various applications in integrated microwave photonics. We demonstrate high-quality microwave pulse generation with multiple pulse shapes based on an integrated silicon dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator. Three typical microwave pulses, including sinc-shaped Nyquist pulses, triangular pulses, and Gaussian pulses, are successfully generated. The device is capable of multi-wavelength operation with a tunable repetition rate. All the generated pulses show a root mean square error below 4%. The comparison with the results based on LiNbO3 modulators and other silicon modulators is also provided to confirm the high quality of generated pulses. Our article demonstrates the high tunability of microwave pulse generation with silicon modulators and shows the potential of an integrated silicon chip to generate high-speed photonic and microwave pulse trains demanded in optical communications and integrated microwave photonics.