Analog microwave photonic links are used in various applications including broadband wireless
access networks, sensor networks, radar, satellite communications, instrumentation, and warfare
systems [1], due to the advantages of large bandwidth, reduced attenuation, size, weight, and
immunity to electromagnetic interference. In most of these links, the RF signal is externally modulated
with a Mach–Zehnder modulator (MZM) based on different modulation schemes including optical
double-sideband (ODSB), optical carrier suppression (OCS), and optical single-sideband (OSSB)
[2], [3]. Among them, OSSB modulation is more preferable in analog microwave photonic links since
it can effectively eliminate the fading effect [4] and produce higher bandwidth efficiency [5].
In the conventional OSSB modulation scheme, nonlinear distortion such as harmonic distortion
and intermodulation distortion will be generated due to the nonlinear transfer function of the MZM,
which limits the overall link spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR). The third-order intermodulation
distortion (IMD3) is the most determining cause of distortion since it is in close proximity to the
fundamental signal and difficult to filter out. In order to eliminate the IMD3 and enhance the SFDR of
the link, many schemes have been presented. The general idea is to introduce certain predistortion
to compensate for the existing ones using complex modulators, such as dual-drive MZM (DD-MZM)