Doubly resonant metal-free electro-optic microwave receiver in aluminum nitride

Abstract

This paper demonstrates a passive, integrated electro-optic receiver for detection of free-space microwave radiation. Unlike a traditional microwave receiver, which relies on conductive antennas and electrical amplifiers, this receiver uses only passive, optically probed elements with no electrodes or electronic components. The receiver employs two co-resonant structures: a dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) to concentrate incoming microwave radiation and an integrated aluminum nitride (AlN) racetrack resonator to resonantly enhance the optical carrier. The microwave field of the DRA modulates the built-up optical carrier in the resonator via the electro-optic response of AlN. We successfully detected 15 GHz microwave radiation through co-resonant electro-optic up-conversion, without the need for any conducting electrodes, amplifiers, or electronic components.