新一代光信息系统(光通信、光传感、光处理等)迫切要求光子器件能够对光信号进行多维度(幅度、相位、偏振等)和高精细操控, 对这些光子器件的多维光谱响应进行精确测量已成为相关领域创新和取得突破的前提。然而, 目前国内外尚无光矢量分析仪表能测量具有飞米级别频谱操控精度光器件的频谱响应。一种实现超高分辨率光矢量分析的有效途径是: 采用微波光子技术将粗粒度的光域波长扫描转换成超高分辨率的微波频率扫描, 辅以高精度电幅相检测, 进而实现光器件多维光谱响应的超高分辨率测量。然而, 该光矢量分析技术仍面临测量范围较窄、动态范围较小和测量误差较大这三个关键挑战。深入分析了这三个关键挑战, 并讨论相关的测量范围拓展技术、动态范围增强技术和测量误差消除技术。此外, 探讨了该技术的未来发展趋势。

The development of new generation optical information system (i.e. optical communication, optical sensing, optical signal processing, etc.) highly desires the optical components and devices having capability for finely manipulating the optical spectrum by fm-level in multiple dimensions (i.e. magnitude, phase, polarization, etc.). Only the frequency re-sponses of such optical components and devices are accurately measured, the innovation and breakthrough in the related fields can be achieved. However, there is no such instrument commercially available. One of the promising solutions to achieve high-resolution optical vector analysis (OVA) is microwave photonics (MWP), in which, by employing the electrical-to-optical and optical-to-electrical conversions, high-resolution frequency sweeping and accurate magnitude and phase extraction are realized using the mature and high-resolution microwave technologies. Although the MWP-based OVA is attractive due to its ultra-high resolution, there are still three key challenges, i.e. narrow measurement range, small dynamic range and considerable measurement errors. In this paper, the comprehensive analysis on these challenges are given and the methods to extend the measurement range, enhance the dynamic range and improve the measurement accuracy are performed and discussed. Possible future research directions are also discussed.