Novel Phase Modulator Linearity Measurement

Phase modulator linearity is an important concern for high dynamic range phase modulated optic links. However, the determination of phase modulator linearity is difficult as it requires an optical phase demodulator that generally contains nonlinear distortion that tends to contaminate the measurements. In this letter, we present a simple and effective approach for phase modulator linearity measurement that can be made into a photonic integrated circuit and does not require a reference linear phase modulator. We also present the measurement results.