Novel synthesized photonic signal processor with hardware compression

A new grating-synthesized structure that realizes both a flat-top filter and a high rejection ratio response simultaneously is presented. The concept is based on an integrated grating synthesis approach in which the tap weights and delays are simultaneously realized in one unit. This enables multiple taps to be readily obtained with short sampling times, together with bipolar taps using a dual-output electrooptic modulator. Results demonstrate the realization of a flat-top filter response with high free-spectral range, high rejection ratio, and low passband ripple, and with compressed hardware requirements.