Instantaneous frequency measurement based on complementary microwave photonic filters with a shared Mach–Zehnder interferometer

A novel configuration using only one Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) for photonic-assisted instantaneous microwave frequency measurement is proposed. The amplitude comparison function (ACF), related to the input microwave frequency while independent of the input optical power and modulate index, is achieved by using a ratio of low-pass to bandpass frequency responses introduced by intensity and phase modulation with a shared MZI. The microwave frequency can be estimated by the measured ACF. A proof-of-concept experiment for measurement of RF from 5 to 10 GHz is successfully demonstrated with the measurement errors less than ± 0.2 GHz.