Patent ID: 8023831

Claim:
A method in an RF photonic link circuit having an RF input and an RF output, the method comprising: a) modulating an optical carrier signal in a signal arm with the RF input to provide an RF modulated signal; b) modulating the RF input modulated signal with a negative feedback phase lock loop from the RF output to provide a phase loop modulated signal; c) optically coupling the phase loop modulated signal and a local oscillator signal arm to provide a coupled output; d) photodetecting the coupled output and generating a photodetected output signal; e) amplifying the photodetected signal to provide the RF output; f) suppressing the optical carrier signal to provide a carrier suppressed signal prior to photodetecting; g) wherein suppressing the optical carrier signal further comprises asymmetrically splitting the local oscillator signal; and h) optically coupling a portion of the asymmetrically split local oscillator signal with the phase loop modulated signal so as to suppress the optical carrier signal.