Tunable RF signal generation

Abstract

There is provided a tunable radio frequency (RF) signal generator comprising: a bi-directional ring laser and a photodetector. The ring laser includes a phase modulator driven by an electrical signal. In use, the modulator imparts a phase shift in dependence on the electrical signal to at least one of a mutually coherent clockwise and counter-clockwise propagating optical signal in the ring laser so as to produce a predetermined difference in the frequency of the clockwise and counter-clockwise propagating signals. The photodetector is optically coupled to an optical output of the ring laser, and in use the photodetector generates a radio frequency signal in dependence on the difference in frequency of the clockwise and counter-clockwise propagating optical signals. There is also provided a method for generating a tunable radio frequency signal using the tunable radio frequency (RF) signal generator.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.