Vol. 56, Issue 2, pp. 271-281 (2026)

Abstract

This paper presents a hybrid all-optical approach for multi-order millimeter-wave (mm-wave) generation using the combined effects of stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and four-wave mixing (FWM) in optical fibre. The proposed method employs a single-laser source which is used to induce SBS-generated Stokes and anti-Stokes components, which further participate in nonlinear FWM processes inside the fibre. The cascaded interaction of these nonlinear phenomena produces multiple optical sidebands with precise frequency spacing. When detected by a high-speed photodiode, the beating between these multi-order components results in the generation of stable and high-purity mm-wave signals various frequency level at 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, and 66 GHz. The influence of pump power, fibre length, SBS gain, and nonlinear coefficient on the efficiency of higher-order frequency generation is analysed. Results show that combining SBS with FWM enhances spectral broadening, increases the number of generated sidebands, and enables the production of higher-order mm-wave signals with improved tunability. This multi-order optical mm-wave generation technique offers a low-power, flexible, simple structure and O–E–O free solution suitable for next-generation high-capacity communication systems, including 5G/6G and radio-over-fibre applications.