Abstract
An optoelectronic technique for synthesis of frequency-versatile electrical signals phase-locked to the optical clock is proposed. The key component is an integrated-optic modulator (IOM) operated in the nonlinear regime. With a photodetctor, the IOM functions as an optoelectronic subharmonic mixer for intermixing microwave signals that are subharmonics of the optical clock. As a first demonstration, phase-locked subharmonics and fractional harmonics of the optical clock at fo = 500 MHz, with frequency equal to fo/n or (m/n)/fo, where n = 2,3,4… and m/n = 2/5,2/3,4/3,3/2 and 5/3 etc., are generated and characterized. © 1995 IEEE