Microwave Photonics: Challenges and Applications

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Optical Communication and Network".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2026) | Viewed by 794

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: optoelectronic devices; heterogeneous integration technology; system and application

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Microwave Photonics (MWP) has shown great potential in communication, radar, sensing, aerospace, and other fields in recent years. By utilizing the broadband, low loss, and anti electromagnetic interference characteristics of photons, microwave photon technology provides innovative solutions to the challenges faced by traditional microwave systems, such as bandwidth bottlenecks, signal processing complexity, and environmental adaptability. However, this field still faces key scientific issues such as device integration, system stability, and cost control, which urgently require collaborative breakthroughs between academia and industry.

This Special Issue focuses on the latest research progress and future trends in microwave photonics, covering but not limited to the following topics:

  1. Key technological breakthroughs: design and optimization of high-efficiency optoelectronic conversion technology, heterogeneous integration technology, photon microwave generation, wireless on fiber (RoF) systems, photonic-integrated circuits (PIC), and other devices.
  2. System and application: microwave photon technology in 5G/6G communication, photon-assisted radar, quantum microwave sensing, satellite communication and other scenarios.
  3. Challenges and prospects: standardization, energy consumption control, and interdisciplinary integration paths for large-scale applications.

We sincerely invite scholars from all over the country to submit original research or review papers, jointly promoting the industrialization of microwave photonics from the laboratory and providing technical support for the next generation of information infrastructure.

Dr. Zeping Zhao
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • microwave photonics
  • optoelectronic devices
  • heterogeneous integration technology
  • optoelectronic package
  • system and application

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 2606 KB  
Article
Optical Multi-Frequency Discrimination and Phase Identification System Based on On-Chip Dual MZM
by Xiang Li, Hanyu Wang, Xiang Zheng, Mingxuan Li, Jianguo Liu and Zeping Zhao
Photonics 2026, 13(2), 145; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics13020145 - 2 Feb 2026
Viewed by 497
Abstract
A photonic frequency discrimination and phase identification system based on an on-chip dual Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM) is proposed. By utilizing the power cancellation (PCD) condition, the system achieves high-precision frequency discrimination and phase identification of multi-frequency radio frequency (RF) signals. The system adopts [...] Read more.
A photonic frequency discrimination and phase identification system based on an on-chip dual Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM) is proposed. By utilizing the power cancellation (PCD) condition, the system achieves high-precision frequency discrimination and phase identification of multi-frequency radio frequency (RF) signals. The system adopts an on-chip dual-MZM architecture, effectively reducing phase interference in signal transmission caused by environmental factors. This is achieved through precise bias control and the adjustment of the local oscillator (LO) signal’s optical path delay using a tunable optical delay line (TODL), ensuring that the dual MZM operates in the phase inversion condition. When the LO frequency matches that of an RF signal, a significant power attenuation is observed at the system output. The phase of the RF signal is extracted from the corresponding PCD. Experimental results demonstrate that the system achieves a bandwidth of 30 GHz, a frequency resolution of 700 kHz, and a frequency resolution error of less than 498 kHz, with a phase identification range from 0° to 65°. With high integration, the system demonstrates excellent accuracy in multi-frequency signal measurement and phase identification, offering a reliable solution for complex RF scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microwave Photonics: Challenges and Applications)
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