High-frequency broadband radar signal generation based on optical frequency comb

The rapid development of radar technology requires RF transmitters with high working frequency, broad tuning bandwidth, flexible reconfigurability, and the ability of generating large time-bandwidth product signals. In this paper, we reviewed the main architecture and research status of high-frequency, broadband, multi-format radar waveform generation technology based on optical frequency combs (OFCs) in the context of microwave photonics, and we highlighted the technical route and the main problems that exist for the purpose of practical engineering applications. The main challenges and development trends of microwave photonic radar RF front-end based on optical frequency comb in future applications are also presented.