Comparison of two architectures for fibre optic distribution inside Ka-band communication satellites

A comparison between two high-speed fiber-optic (FO) link architectures is presented. Experiments were performed on two reactively matched links, one operating from 18.5 to 19.0 GHz and the other at 0.5 to 1 GHz and then subsequently upconverted to 18.0 GHz. Both links were fully characterized analytically and experimentally. It is demonstrated that, for high-frequency operation, the best configuration results from the separation of the data and carrier signals. When these signals are sent over separate links, this architecture is called T/R level data mixing. Improvements are seen in gain (>30 dB), noise figure (>30 dB), and dynamic range (>40 dB) when this architecture is implemented.<>