A Microwave Photonic Approach to Ultra-Wideband High-Precision High-Stability Frequency-Hopping Signal Generation

CHEN Bo; SUN Gewen; WANG Guorong; FAN Yanli; MEI Cexiang; KANG Bochao; GAO Yongsheng

doi:10.11999/JEIT260679

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CHEN Bo, SUN Gewen, WANG Guorong, FAN Yanli, MEI Cexiang, KANG Bochao, GAO Yongsheng. A Microwave Photonic Approach to Ultra-Wideband High-Precision High-Stability Frequency-Hopping Signal Generation[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT260679

Citation:

CHEN Bo, SUN Gewen, WANG Guorong, FAN Yanli, MEI Cexiang, KANG Bochao, GAO Yongsheng. A Microwave Photonic Approach to Ultra-Wideband High-Precision High-Stability Frequency-Hopping Signal Generation[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT260679

Citation:

CHEN Bo, SUN Gewen, WANG Guorong, FAN Yanli, MEI Cexiang, KANG Bochao, GAO Yongsheng. A Microwave Photonic Approach to Ultra-Wideband High-Precision High-Stability Frequency-Hopping Signal Generation[J]. Journal of Electronics & Information Technology. doi: 10.11999/JEIT260679

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A Microwave Photonic Approach to Ultra-Wideband High-Precision High-Stability Frequency-Hopping Signal Generation

doi: 10.11999/JEIT260679 cstr: 32379.14.JEIT260679

1.
College of Physics & Electronic Engineering, Xianyang Normal University, Xianyang 712000, China
2.
China Academy of Space Technology Xi’an Branch, Xi’an 710021, China
3.
School of Electronics and Information, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710021, China
4.
Shaanxi Chint Intelligent Electric Co., Ltd., Xianyang 712000, China

Funds: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (62171734, 62301437), Shaanxi Key R&D Program Project (2025NC-YBXM-199), Shaanxi Provincial Natural Science Basic Research Program (2025JC-YBMS-094), The Key Cultivation Project of Xianyang Normal University (XSYK25029)

Received Date: 2025-05-25
Accepted Date: 2026-09-15
Rev Recd Date: 2026-09-14

Available Online: 2026-09-22

Abstract

Abstract

Objective The new-generation anti-jamming satellite communication systems in China require frequency-hopping signal generation technologies that simultaneously provide ultra-wide bandwidth, fast hopping rates, and high stability. Conventional electronic schemes are restricted by the “electronic bottleneck,” which limits the realization of wideband coverage and high-precision frequency control. Existing photonic frequency-hopping methods still face challenges in frequency stability, hopping frequency number, and spurious suppression. To overcome these limitations, a microwave photonic ultra-wideband high-precision high-stability frequency-hopping signal generation method based on acousto-optic frequency shifting is proposed. Methods A continuous optical wave generated by a narrow-linewidth laser is used as the optical carrier and equally divided into two paths by an optical splitter. In the upper path, a Dual-Parallel Mach-Zehnder Modulator (DPMZM) performs Carrier-Suppressed Single-SideBand (CS-SSB) modulation on the initial Frequency-Hopping (FH) signal, converting the Radio Frequency (RF) signal into the optical domain for subsequent transmission and processing. The generated single-sideband signal is injected into an Optical Frequency Comb (OFC) generation module with eight lines for signal replication. In the lower path, the optical carrier is frequency-shifted by an Acousto-Optic Modulator (AOM) to adjust the center frequency and then introduced into an identical OFC generation module to generate an eight-line Local Oscillator (LO) optical comb. The two optical combs are combined and separated into eight independent channels through a Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexer (DWDM). Each channel is connected to an optical switch and a photodetector for channel selection and signal detection. By jointly controlling the optical switching states and signal phase selection, the input narrowband FH signal is expanded to 16 times its original bandwidth. Results and Discussions An experimental link is established to verify the proposed method. The generation performance of the dual optical combs is first evaluated. The results shown in Fig. 2 demonstrate that the Free Spectral Ranges (FSRs) of OFC1 and OFC2 are 40 GHz and 36 GHz, respectively, and the flatness of both combs is below 3 dB. Subsequently, a phase modulation experiment is performed using a single-tone signal with a center frequency of 800 MHz. The results in Fig. 3 show that frequency-hopped signals are generated at 200 MHz and 1 800 MHz, and the Crosstalk Suppression Ratio between the two channels exceeds 21 dB, indicating effective channel isolation. Fig. 4 further presents the frequency-hopping performance of all channels using optical switches. The results demonstrate that an input FH signal with a bandwidth of only 1 GHz can achieve a 16-fold expansion of hopping bandwidth. Finally, a wideband vector signal is applied to verify the frequency-hopping capability of all channels. The experimental results show that the Adjacent Channel Power Ratio (ACPR) of each channel is approximately 39.57 dB, and the Error Vector Magnitude (EVM) of the generated signal is about 6.72%. Although residual signals remain detectable at the original spectral positions after frequency hopping, they have a negligible influence on effective communication. Conclusions The proposed method achieves large-bandwidth frequency hopping while maintaining high frequency stability. Compared with existing photonic frequency-hopping approaches based on optical injection locking or Fourier Domain Mode Locking, the proposed method enables flexible frequency hopping without directly driving the laser using an electrical signal. The frequency stability mainly depends on the initial FH signal, reducing frequency instability caused by laser parameter control. Unlike photonic frequency-multiplication-based schemes, the proposed method does not require a high-frequency hopping signal as a reference. In addition, the hopping bandwidth can be further expanded by increasing the number of optical frequency comb lines. Compared with other optical frequency comb-based photonic frequency-hopping schemes, the proposed method doubles the utilization efficiency of each comb line for frequency hopping and supports flexible frequency switching within the hopping bandwidth without being restricted by fixed frequency points. The proposed method provides an effective solution for future anti-jamming communications, reconnaissance, and electronic countermeasure systems.
- Microwave photonics,
- Frequency Hopping (FH),
- Optical Frequency Comb (OFC),
- Acousto-Optic Modulator (AOM)

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References(29)

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