Compact Bidirectional Fiber-Antenna for Radio-Over-Fiber

Bidirectional, compact radio head units integrating radiating structures, photonic devices, bias, and RF circuitry for 5G FR1 (sub-7 GHz) wireless radio-over-fiber (RoF) applications are proposed. The design leverages optical sub-assemblies in TO-CAN packages found in low-cost, mass-produced commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) small form pluggable (SFP) digital switches operating at 10 Gbps data rate. Impedance characteristics, extracted from de-embedded on-wafer calibrated measurements using coplanar probes up to 10 GHz, inform the design of a microwave planar circuit on Rogers 3003 substrate. Electromagnetic simulations validate optimal impedance matching and system performance, confirming the feasibility of the approach.