4 × 2.5 GHz Repetitive Photonic Sampler for High-Speed Analog-to-Digital Signal Conversion

Abstract

This letter presents a 10-gigasample/s (GS/s) photonic analog-to-digital converter (ADC) system constructed using a four-wavelength picosecond pulsed source. The lasing-to-non-lasing modes suppression ratio of the optical source is over 24 dB. By using the 10-GHz optical source, a 10-GS/s photonic ADC has been demonstrated and was used to sample an arbitrary radio-frequency signal. The system was further investigated by sampling a 2.4-GHz sinusoidal signal. Important parameters including the signal-to-noise and distortion ratio and the spurious-free dynamic range have been determined.