Patent ID: 8761555

Claim:
A radio frequency (RF) photonic receiver based on photonic signal processing via an electro-optic effect, comprising: an optical resonator formed of an electro-optic material and shaped to support (1) at least one high quality factor optical mode having a narrow bandwidth, and (2) at least one low quality factor optical mode with a broader bandwidth than the narrow bandwidth of the high quality factor optical mode; an optical coupler that couples external laser light into the optical resonator in the high quality factor optical mode into the narrow bandwidth to optically energize the optical resonator; means for applying a spatially inhomogeneous RF field to the electro-optical material in a region of the optical resonator where the high quality factor and low quality factor optical modes are localized to cause optical coupling that transfers optical energy from the high quality factor optical mode to the low quality factor optical mode; means for applying an RF signal modulation in the RF field to cause an electro-optic modulation of the light in the low quality factor optical whispering gallery mode to produce modulated light in the low quality factor optical mode that carries the RF signal modulation in the broader bandwidth than the narrow bandwidth of the high quality factor optical mode; and means for converting the modulated light in the low quality factor optical mode into an RF output signal that carries RF signal modulation, thus effectuating an increase in the bandwidth of the RF photonic receiver beyond what is permitted by the narrow bandwidth of the high quality factor optical mode of the optical resonator.