This doctoral thesis (defense in January 1013) was supervised by Béatrice Cabon as well as Thomas Zwick of the Institut für Hochfrequenztechnik und Elektronik at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, and co-supervised by Julien Poette. The main focus of the thesis was techniques for the generation and modulation of RF signals in the millimeter wave region, based on mode-locked laser diodes for radio-over-fiber systems. The experimental work was mainly carried out at IMEP. The Jury selected this thesis from a large number of candidates for its outstanding scientific quality and international character.
About the Bertha Benz Prize The Bertha Benz Prize of 10000 Euros is awarded annually by the Daimler and Benz Foundation, in honors of Mrs Bertha Benz, to a young woman in engineering for her excellent doctoral thesis in the domains of natural sciences and engineering. Bertha Benz was the wife of the engineer Carl Benz, the inventor of the automobile in 1888. While Carl spends his days locked up in his workshop, it is Bertha who decides on day to undertake the first tour of more than 100km in the automobile - without her husband knowing. Despite of the diverse difficulties related to the premature stage of the vehicle, she succeeds in overcoming them by her profound technical knowledge. By this courageous and - globally - singular act, she is the first to demonstrate the enormous potential of this technology.