Abstract

For the past four years, the Air Force Space Division has been supporting, at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, a program in optical heterodyne communication technology. This program is motivated by the need to achieve cross-linking capability using small, lightweight, standardized spaceborne packages. Heterodyne technology at near-intrared wavelengths (0.8–0.9 μm) is potentially 10–20 dB more efficient in the use of signal power than conventional direct detection technology. This permits high data rate (>200 Mbps) links to be realized with single GaAIAs semiconductor transmitter lasers of modest power (30 mW) and using small apertures (≈20 cm). However, semiconductor laser heterodyne technology is a more recent development in technology compared to direct detection and therefore is a less conservative approach to optical communication.

© 1986 Optical Society of America