Radio Frequency over Fiber (RFoF) for the Next Generation Submarine Electronic Warfare (EW) System Navy SBIR FY2016.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2016.1 Topic No.: N161-034 Topic Title: Radio Frequency over Fiber (RFoF) for the Next Generation Submarine Electronic Warfare (EW) System Proposal No.: N161-034-0416 Firm: Phase Sensitive Innovations 51 East Main Street Suite 201 Newark, Delaware 19711 Contact: Christopher Schuetz Phone: (302) 456-9003 Abstract: Submarine applications for antennas are severely constricted by mission constraints for stealth and force protection. High fidelity fiber optic links could potentially open a new range of mission capabilities by enabling towed antenna arrays that could be accessed while submerged. However, to date RF photonic links have had insufficient noise performance and/or dynamic range to satisfy these mission requirements. To this end, PSI proposed a series of component and link architecture developments that will provide improved performance over the existing state of the art. Specifically, PSI will utilize its expertise in high bandwidth lithium niobate modulators and high-linearity MUTC photodiodes to establish a baseline of performance that can be achieved using traditional link architectures that exceeds existing commercial solutions. This effort will be dovetailed with explorations into optically downconverted links that utilize injection locked lasers to convert the received frequency down to baseband directly in the optical domain, where very high photocurrent detectors can be used for enhanced link performance. Furthermore, vertically integrated optical phase locked loop receivers with delays times on the order of femtoseconds will be explored to realize high dynamic range links with phase feedback that have previously been limited in dynamic range improvement and operational bandwidth. Benefits: High performance fiber optic links, such as the ones to be developed by this effort, have a wide range of commercial and government applications. As detailed in this proposal, towed and mast mounted systems could benefit greatly from the increased deployment flexibility and mission capabilities that could be enabled by such high fidelity RF photonic links. However, as the requirements for bandwidth increase in communications systems, bandwidth- distance limitations of common electrical cabling becomes ever more constraining and a much wider range of applications for such links are emerging. A high fidelity analog link could enable transformative changes across many areas similar to those experienced by digital communications in recent years. In fact, in many areas where a high distance-bandwidth product is required, such as RADAR remoting for defense applications, analog links are already employed. PSI is already heavily involved in analog links for defense applications and has ~$1M in purchase orders for RF photonics links and components for defense customers. Developments under this SBIR effort will enable us to improve the bandwidth distance product of such links such that a wide range of other commercial applications will become viable. Key examples of the business areas we would target with such links are cell phone tower antenna remoting and distribution, next generation wireless communication signal routing, and distributed remote sensing. The US cell carrier infrastructure equipment market alone represented a $34B alone and is growing expected to grow at a 40-56% compound annual growth rate. By 2020, the US market for network gear deployed at cell towers is expected to be $70-150B, and the fiber links developed under this SBIR could provide viable upgrades that supplement existing cell infrastructure. Return