Abstract
We report on the generation and transmission of millimeter-wave (MMW) beat-tone at 28 GHz from an external injection-locked InAs/InP quantum-dash laser-based comb source emitting in mid L-band. The MMW beat-tone exhibited a narrow linewidth, and low phase noise of similar to -122 dBc/Hz at 1.0 MHz offset frequency, thus demonstrating superior characteristics. Thereafter, we achieved a successful transmission of 2 Gbps quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) signal over 28 GHz MMW beat-tone carrier on 4 m wireless channel as well as 20 km single-mode fiber and 4 m wireless hybrid channel, exhibiting receiver sensitivities of -1.0 and -0.5 dBm, respectively. This demonstration paves the way for the potential deployment of this new-class of MMW photonic source in future passive optical networks and 5G, enabling exploiting hybrid architectures and extended L-band wavelength operation besides the conventional C-band.