Patent ID: 9154231
Filing Date: 2015-10-06
Classification: H04B

Abstract:
1. An apparatus comprising: an optical hybrid configured to optically mix an optical input signal and an optical local-oscillator, “OLO,” signal to generate a plurality of mixed optical signals; a first optical-to-electrical converter configured to convert a first subset of the plurality of mixed optical signals into a first electrical analog signal; a second optical-to-electrical converter configured to convert a second subset of the plurality of mixed optical signals into a second electrical analog signal; a first slicer circuit configured to slice the first electrical analog signal to generate a first electrical digital signal; a second slicer circuit configured to slice the second electrical analog signal to generate a second electrical digital signal; and a phase detector configured to generate an electrical measure of a phase difference between the OLO signal and a carrier wave of the optical input signal, with said electrical measure being generated using the first electrical analog signal, the first electrical digital signal, the second electrical analog signal, and the second electrical digital signal.