Patent ID: 8730562
Filing Date: 2014-05-20
Classification: G02F,H03M

Abstract:
1. An optical sampler, comprising: (i) a first 1×n optical beam splitter where n is an integer greater than 1, coupled to receive an input optical sampling signal, to provide n parallel optical sampling signals; (ii) a second 1×n optical beam splitter, coupled to receive an optical analog input signal, to provide n parallel optical analog input signals; (iii) a plurality of optical delay elements, coupled to receive respectively different ones of the n parallel optical sampling signals, to provide n parallel delayed optical sampling signals with respectively different time delays relative to the input optical sampling signal; and (iv) n optical modulators comprising n photodiodes, wherein each n photodiode is coupled to receive a respectively different one of a) the n parallel optical analog input signals or b) the n parallel delayed optical sampling signals and to provide a respective electrical output signal; and wherein each n optical modulator is coupled to receive one of a) the n parallel delayed optical sampling signals or b) the n parallel optical analog input signals as an optical input signal, respectively, and to receive the electrical output signal of a respective one of the n photodiodes as an electrical input signal, and wherein the n optical modulators provide n successive optical samples of the optical analog input signal.