Patent ID: 8953950
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: G02F,H03M

Abstract:
1. An ultra-high-speed optical analog to digital converter comprising: an input for receiving electrical input voltage; at least one laser source for providing a train of equally spaced coherent light pulses; at least one phase modulator for modulating the phase of said light pulses in response to said electrical input voltage to provide phase modulated light pulses; an optical front end comprising at least one optical channel, wherein each optical channel comprises an optical coupler for interfering said phase modulated light pulses with a reference light to create a first and a second interference beams, wherein light intensities in said first and second interference beams depend on relative phase of said phase modulated light pulses and said reference light; at least one optical receiver comprising: a first and a second photodiode for detecting light from said first and a second interference beams to produce a first and a second photocurrents indicative of intensity of said detected light; and an electronic comparator for producing a binary signal indicative of a difference in said first and second photocurrents; and an electronic encoding logic, for creating a multi-bit result from a plurality of said binary signals.