Patent ID: 8917197
Filing Date: 2014-12-23
Classification: G02F,H03M

Abstract:
1. An apparatus for modulating an optical signal with an input electrical signal, comprising: an optical interferometer that splits an input optical beam of mean optical frequency f into at least two arms, a first arm including a phase modulator modulating according to the input electrical signal the optical beam, a first frequency converter receiving an output of the phase modulator and multiplying the optical frequency f to a higher frequency n·f where n is a multiplication term; a second arm including a second frequency converter multiplying the optical frequency f to a higher frequency n·f where n is a multiplication term; an optical combiner that combines the two arms of the interferometer into at least one optical output signal, and wherein the frequency converter also acts to multiply the applied phase shift from the phase modulator thus providing a performance improvement by reducing a minimum detectable electrical input signal size.