Photonic methods of radio-frequency waveform generation and processing can provide\nperformance advantages and flexibility over electronic methods due to the ultrawide bandwidth\noffered by the optical carriers. However, bulk optics implementations suffer from the\nlack of integration and slow reconfiguration speed. Here we propose an architecture of\nintegrated photonic radio-frequency generation and processing and implement it on a silicon\nchip fabricated in a semiconductor manufacturing foundry. Our device can generate\nprogrammable radio-frequency bursts or continuous waveforms with only the light source,\nelectrical drives/controls and detectors being off-chip. It modulates an individual pulse\nin a radio-frequency burst within 4 ns, achieving a reconfiguration speed three orders of\nmagnitude faster than thermal tuning. The on-chip optical delay elements offer an integrated\napproach to accurately manipulating individual radio-frequency waveform features without\nconstraints set by the speed and timing jitter of electronics, and should find applications\nranging from high-speed wireless to defence electronics.
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