Study of IQ imbalance in a single-side band Radio-over-Fiber system based on OFDM-MSK modulation

We propose a single-side band (SSB) Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) system based on OFDM-MSK modulation. In-phase/quadrature-phase (IQ) imbalance effect can significantly degrade the system performance. In order to obtain a better system performance, at the transmitter, the phase departure tolerance should be within 1 degree and the amplitude departure tolerance within 5% in the electrical domain, while in the optical domain, 10 degrees and 40%, respectively. At the receiver, the phase departure tolerance should be within 2 degrees and the amplitude departure tolerance within 10%.