Patent ID: 7099359
Filing Date: 2006-08-29
Classification: G02F,H01S,H04B

Abstract:
1. An optical pulse train generator, comprising: a light source operable to produce an unmodulated optical output; an electro-optic interferometric optical modulator for intensity modulating the unmodulated optical output in dependence on a sinusoidal drive voltage to produce a modulated optical signal, wherein the modulator has an optical transmission versus drive voltage characteristic which is sinusoidal in form and wherein the modulator is operable about a point of minimum optical transmission of said characteristic and said drive voltage has a amplitude which exceeds one cycle of said characteristic such that the modulated optical signal is non-sinusoidal; and optical pulse shaping means for aligning a phase of frequency components of said modulated optical signal in the frequency domain to produce an optical pulse train in which the pulses are substantially transform limited.