Patent ID: 8417076

Claim:
A microwave or RF photonic receiver, comprising: a single sideband modulator comprising an optical resonator made of an electro-optic crystal and structured to support optical whispering gallery modes in a first polarization mode and a second polarization mode orthogonal to the first polarization mode, both of which circulate near a rim of the optical resonator, and electrodes formed relative to the optical resonator to receive an RF or microwave signal to the optical resonator in an electric field polarization oriented relative to a crystal axis of the electro-optic crystal to effectuate coupling between an optical whispering gallery mode in the first polarization mode and another optical whispering gallery mode in the second polarization mode to produce an optical single sideband by modulation of continuous wave light at an optical carrier frequency at a sideband frequency different from the optical carrier frequency; a frequency control mechanism coupled to the optical resonator to tune a frequency spacing between the optical single sideband and the optical carrier frequency; an optical beam splitter that receives optical output from the single sideband modulator and splits the optical output into a first optical signal along a first optical path and a second optical signal along a second optical path; an optical beam combiner that combines light of the first and second optical paths to produce a combined output; an optical detector that receives the combined output; an optical modulator in the second optical path to modulate light in response to an RF or microwave input signal; and an optical filter downstream from the optical modulator in the second optical path to selectively transmit light at a signal band while rejecting light at other frequencies.