Circuit modeling of phase modulated microwave optical links and performance analysis

A phase modulated analog optical link is studied using electrical circuit modeling. This link based on Mach–Zehnder interferometer is compared to a classical intensity modulated link. The analog performances are evaluated by circuit representation of optoelectronic and optical components in the electrical domain. The models include noise and nonlinear properties of those components and require careful formulation of simulation parameters. One of the advantages of this approach is that electronic circuits are combined to photonic components to fully analyze the system analog performances like gain, distortion and noise figure. The models can be easily implemented on a well-established electrical domain simulation tools with efficient simulation algorithms dedicated to microwave systems. It is shown that modeling tools are vital for such system design and can be used to performance evaluation of relevant and complex microwave photonic systems.