Low phase noise and quasi-tunable millimeter-wave generator using a passively InAs/InP mode-locked quantum dot laser

A low phase noise millimeter-wave (MMW) signal generator is proposed and experimentally demonstrated with a C-band passively Fabry-Perot (F-P) quantum dot mode-locked laser. A novel method is proposed to generate low phase noise MMW signal, which is simply based on a commercial off-the-shelf dual-driven LiNbO3 Mach-Zehnder modulator and a passively F-P quantum dot mode-locked laser. MMW signal with the frequency of 30 GHz, 45 GHz and 90 GHz respectively is obtained experimentally. Single-sideband phase noise of the 30 GHz and 45 GHz MMW signal is −112 dBc/Hz and −106 dBc/Hz at an offset of 1 kHz, respectively. The linewidth of the 30 GHz and 45 GHz MMW signal is about from 225 Hz and 239 Hz. This is considered a very simple MMW generator with a quasi-tunable broadband and ultra-low phase noise.