Photonic Generation of Wideband Flexible Multichannel Frequency-Hopping Microwave Signal Based on Optically Injected Lasers

The escalating demands for spectral resources and information security have propelled significant interest in frequency-hopping (FH) communication. However, conventional electronic-based FH techniques face inherent limitations, such as restricted bandwidth, poor tunability, complex systems, and susceptibility to electromagnetic interference, making them increasingly inadequate for future applications. In this paper, we propose a photonic-assisted approach to generate wideband multichannel FH signals. This scheme eliminates the need for optical amplifiers and optical filters conventionally used in microwave photonic links, instead achieving amplification and filtering functions within semiconductor lasers. An optical frequency comb (OFC) is generated through optical injection of a gain-switched laser. This OFC then serves as a multi-wavelength seed to injection-lock (IL) a semiconductor laser, enabling selective amplification and filtering of individual comb lines. This method significantly improves frequency agility and signal purity while substantially reducing system complexity and power consumption. Experimentally, we demonstrate the generation of FH signals over 21 GHz with 7 channels and over 20 GHz with 20 channels. Furthermore, by pre-compensating the FH control signal, we achieve a hopping rate of$\sim$10$\mu$s and explore the potential for 50 ns switching. Finally, the successful up-conversion of 3 Gbps and 1 Gbps QPSK signals, while maintaining error vector magnitude (EVM) below 9%, validates the practical viability of the proposed architecture. This work offers a promising pathway toward highly integrated, low-noise, and interference-resistant FH systems for next-generation wireless communication.