OPTOELECTRONIC MICROWAVE-RANGE FREQUENCY MIXING IN SEMICONDUCTOR-LASERS

Optoelectronic mixing of very high-frequency amplitude-modulated signa ls using a semiconductor laser simultaneously as a local oscillator an d a mixer is proposed, Three possible constructions of a monolithicall y integrated up- or down-converter are considered theoretically: a fou r-terminal semiconductor laser with dual pumping current/modal gain co ntrol, and both a passively mode-locked and a passively e-switched sem iconductor laser monolithically integrated with an electroabsorption o r pumping current modulator. Experimental verification of the feasibil ity of the laser-mixer concept is presented.