Optical Techniques For Wide Bandwidth Microwave Spectrum Analysis

This paper reports on a microwave spectrum analyzer demonstration that processes the RF signals with optical techniques. Signals in the 1 to 18 GHz band are channelized to a resolution of .74 GHz. The channelization is performed by modulating the RF signals onto a laser carrier, and then using two Eschelle diffraction gratings to demultiplex the signals according to frequency. The channelized output is monitored with a linear detector array. The report discusses the demonstration design, configuration and results.