Full-Spectrum RF-over-Fiber Network Navy SBIR FY2012.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2012.1 Topic No.: N121-056 Topic Title: Full-Spectrum RF-over-Fiber Network Proposal No.: N121-056-0229 Firm: Photonic Systems, Inc. 900 Middlesex Turnpike Building #5 Billerica, Massachusetts 01821 Contact: Gary Betts Phone: (760) 839-8211 Web Site: www.photonicsinc.com Abstract: RF signals on submarines and ships are presently carried by coaxial cables and metal waveguides. These require a separate cable for each RF signal, which results in many cables as well as significant installation cost of new equipment. The RF cables and waveguides network must be customized to the specific set of RF equipment because coaxial cables and waveguides are extremely frequency-dependent. Conversely, optical fiber provides an almost ideal transmission medium for RF signals. It has very low loss, about 0.5dB/km, for all RF frequencies even up to 300GHz. It is dielectric, therefore immune to electromagnetic interference. The fiber itself is small, only 0.125mm diameter, so many fibers can be in a single cable. Additionally, wavelength division multiplexing can be used to put several signals on one fiber. Because fiber-optic cables have so much capacity, and they transmit all RF frequencies equally well, a fiber network can be installed during ship construction that accommodates all present and future RF transmission needs. We propose to develop a RF fiber optic system that has extended frequency coverage to 300GHz. The fiber optic system goal is to have better performance than its RF coaxial/waveguide counter-part, along with better SWAP over the system lifetime. Benefits: Today, RF photonic links are sold into defense (EW, ECM, Radar, Communications, and GPS/timing), wireless telecommunications (in-building distributed antenna, base stations, backhaul networks), SATCOM (interfacililty links, remote antenna) and radio astronomy (remote antenna) markets and applications. Although most commercial applications for RF fiber optic links are below 6 GHz, there are numerous defense applications that require X, Ku, Ka and even emerging W (up to 110 GHz) frequency band applications. A Phase I effort will all PSI to market the wideband system solution to prime DoD contractors and use their input to finalize the development of the system. At the end of Phase II, we expect Small engineering development orders and some commercial sales are expected during year 3. Because of the long lead-time to integrate new technology into these types of systems, however, Photonic Systems does not anticipate significant DoD revenues from products developed for this program until at least years 4 or 5. Return