Abstract
Generation, control and measurement of electrical signals have benefited greatly from recent advances in optical technology. In particular, optoelectronically phase lock loops (OEPLL) are potentially useful devices for antenna remoting, optically fed wireless communication, and other applications involving optical-microwave interactions. Previously, we have demonstrated laser-diode-based OEPLL's using either a photoconductive switch [1], bulk electro-optic effect [2], an integrated optic modulator [3], or phase-modulated fiber-optic Sagnac interferometer [4] as an optoelectronic harmonic mixer (OEHM) in the phase lock loop (PLL). In this paper, we will present theoretical and experimental analysis of these laser-diode-based OEHM's. A number of examples will also be discussed to demonstrate potential applications, e.g., electro-optical sampling [5,6], waveform display [7,8], synchronization of microwave oscillators for distributed architecture [9], timing discrimination [10], as well as optoelectronic synthesis of electric signals [11 - 14].