Performance Evaluation of a 60 GHz Radio-over-Fiber System Employing MIMO and OFDM Modulation

Abstract

Multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) technique for wireless communications is extensively used these days, especially to increase the spectral efficiency of new wireless communication systems like LTE, WiMAX, etc. MIMO in combination with robust modulation techniques like orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) provides a good solution for high data rate wireless links. In this paper, the performance of MIMO for a 60 GHz OFDM radio over fiber link is analyzed. System performance of the MIMO system for different antenna spacing is also studied. Using the optimum system parameters, a MIMO OFDM wireless link of up to 51 Gb/s was successfully demonstrated at 60 GHz in a bandwidth of <7 GHz, with a wireless transmission distance of up to 4 m and optical fiber transmission of 1 km. To our knowledge this is the highest data rate demonstrated in the 7 GHz band of 60 GHz.