A review on photonic‐assisted dual‐chirp microwave waveform generation methods

Abstract

In recent times, photonic synthesis and processing of arbitrary microwave waveforms have gained interest due to their high frequency and huge time–bandwidth product. This study reviews methods for producing dual‐chirp microwave waveforms, focusing mostly on system topologies based on external modulation techniques, such as cascaded Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM), dual parallel MZM, and dual polarized MZM. Other photonic approaches, like using semiconductor laser and optical heterodyne detection methods, are also discussed. These techniques are preferable because of high frequency, enhanced time–bandwidth product, greater chirp rate, and many more advantages. Additionally, the difficulties associated with integrating the systems into real‐world applications are also addressed.