Technique for stabilizing the phase of the reference signals in analog fiber-optic links.

The effects of temperature and longitudinal stress on the phase delay of reference signals in a fiber-optic link are discussed. A feedback system that uses a fiber-optic phase modulator is used to compensate for the phase fluctuations of a reference signal in the link. The phase deviations of a 50-MHz reference frequency that are caused by temperature variations of the link is reduced by more than 95% on optimization of the correction system. The advantages of this technique are that the fiber-optic phase modulator has a greater stability compared with the electronic phase modulators, and signal conversions from electric to optic and optic to electric are avoided.