Abstract:
An Optical Frequency Division Multiplexing system achieves close channel spacings and thus high density of communications channels in a particular frequency band by providing a very precise carrier frequency stabilization technique. Each laser-generated local carrier signal is locked to a corresponding reference signal. All of the reference signals are generated by a common tunable laser circuit that produces a sequence of bursts of successively higher frequencies determined by resonant points of a single Fabry-Perot filter. Each transceiver of the Optical Frequency Division Multiplexing system includes a frequency tracking circuit that converts received signals from the optical domain to the electrical domain and utilizes an intermediate frequency filter circuit and a servo control circuit to adjust the tunable laser frequency and lock it to the present reference frequency.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention relates to carrier hetrodyning and reference frequency generation techniques to achieve accurate carrier frequency generation in Optical Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) systems. 
     FIG. 1 shows the general configuration of an OFDM (Optical Frequency Division Multiplexing) system, and FIG. 2 discloses a prior art frequency tracking system used in each transceiver 2-1, 2-2, etc. of an OFDM system. 
     In FIG. 1, numerals 2-1, 2-2 . . . 2-N, and 2-i, designate a group of transceivers each coupled by two-way optical fibers 35 to a passive coupler 31 that sometimes is referred to as a &#34;star coupler&#34;. Numeral 2-M designates a transceiver containing a Reference Frequency Generator that produces a single reference frequency f M  on optical fiber 54, which is used as the sole reference frequency for the entire OFDM system. Each transceiver, including 2-i, includes a laser 2 that transmits an optical signal back to star coupler 31, from which that optical signal is received by all of the other transceivers coupled to coupler 31. The frequency of the transmitted carrier signal produced by laser 2 is controlled by a frequency tracking system 6 that receives the various optical signals from coupler 31. A receiver circuit 28 of each transceiver receives those optical signals from coupler 31 via two-way optical fibers 35. An information data input signal V IN  controls laser 2 to produce digital information by modulating the transmitted carrier signal produced by laser 2 so it produces bursts of light that represent logical &#34;ones&#34;. In the OFDM system of FIG. 1, each &#34;node&#34; or transceiver sends out an optical signal by tunable laser 2 at a frequency different from the others. Passive coupler 31 combines or multiplexes all of the signals in the optical domain. This arrangement makes all of the optical signals visible to all of the receivers, which can tune in any channel by using a tunable filter for incoherent detection or a tunable laser to generate a local carrier for coherent detection. 
     The graph of FIG. 1A shows the spectrum of the carrier signals produced by each of transceivers 2-1, 2-2, etc. The frequency tracking system 6 in each transceiver &#34;references&#34; the transmitted carrier signal produced by that transceiver to the single reference frequency f M . The spectrum of signals shown in FIG. 1A is applied to the receiver 28 and tracking circuit 6 of each transceiver in the system. 
     In an OFDM system as in FIG. 1, it is highly desirable that the channel separation be as close as possible, so that many channels can be provided in the system. Obviously, the channel separation Δf cannot be very small unless each of the frequency spectrums f 1 , f 2  . . . f N  is very stable, that is, if those frequencies do not change appreciably as a function of time, temperature, or other factors. 
     Referring to FIG. 2, passive coupler 31 of FIG. 1 is shown and the lasers in each of the transceivers 2-1, 2-2, . . . 2-N also are shown and are designated by numerals 2-1&#39;, 2-2&#39;, 2-N&#39;, respectively. The frequency spectrums of these lasers are indicated by frequency spectrums f 1 , f 2 , f N . Passive coupler 31 distributes output optical signals each of which contains all of the frequency spectrum components f 1 , f 2 , f N  and also the sole reference frequency f M . Numerals 6A, 6B, and 6C designate prior art frequency tracking systems that are included in the various transceivers. 
     Block 6A of FIG. 2 shows details of a prior art frequency tracking system. It includes a Fabry-Perot filter 33 that receives from coupler 31 a signal P in  (t) containing all of the frequencies f 1 , f 2 , . . . f N  and reference frequency f M . Fabry-Perot filter 33 produces an optical output which is detected by a photodetector 34 and converted to an electrical signal. That electrical signal is input to a first servo loop including mixer 36-1 and low pass filter 35-1, and also to a second servo loop including mixer 36-N and low pass filter 35-N. The output of low pass filter 35-1 is coupled to an input of Fabry-Perot filter 33. The feedback to the control input of Fabry-Perot filter 33 adjusts its resonance bands to align them in the desired relationship to the incoming optical signal P in  (t) carried by optical fiber 7A. This arrangement allows frequencies in the signal P in  (t) at the resonance frequencies of Fabry-Perot filter 33 to pass through Fabry-Perot filter 33 and be detected by a photodiode in optical receiver 34. The second servo loop (including low pass filter 35-N) modulates the frequency of laser N to adjust its frequency so that its transmitted carrier frequency will pass through Fabry-Perot filter 33. 
     A major problem with the system of FIG. 2 is that each of the frequency tracking circuits has a different Fabry-Perot filter 33, and those different filters are likely to have substantial differences in frequency spectrums and pass band separation. As a practical matter, this prevents the channel separation from being as small as desired, and therefore greatly reduces the number of communications channels that can be provided in the system of FIG. 1. 
     The above technique uses the reference frequency f M , from which each carrier frequency f 1 , f 2 , etc. generated by the lasers 2-1&#39;, 2-2&#39;, etc. is kept at a corresponding constant frequency distance, respectively, and maintains the frequency difference in the &#34;optical domain&#34;, by means of Fabry-Perot filter 33. 
     OFDM systems are different from so-called Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) systems in that the channel separation for OFDM systems is much smaller, typically of the order of 0.1 nanometers in wavelength. Compared to the wavelengths of 1300 nanometers or 1500 nanometers commonly used in transmission in OFDM systems, this channel separation is extremely close and requires the wavelength accuracy of a practical useful tunable laser to be maintained within one to ten parts per million. Thus, precise frequency control is crucial for OFDM systems. 
     All existing methods of reference frequency generation for OFDM systems use only the one reference frequency f M  shown in FIG. 1A for the other carriers f 1 , f 2 , etc. to follow. The main existing technique for generating accurate carrier frequencies is to use the one reference frequency for all other frequencies to &#34;lock to&#34; in the optical domain. Typically, a single Fabry-Perot filter is used for frequency locking. A Fabry-Perot filter has equal pass band separation, due to Fabry-Perot resonances. The filter outputs are used to indicate whether the laser frequencies are locked or not. That is, if a laser output frequency coincides with one of the pass bands of the Fabry-Perot filter, the optical receiver will detect a signal, which means that the frequency is locked. On the other hand, if the laser frequency has drifted outside the pass band, there is no signal going to the optical receiver. As a result, the Fabry-Perot filter drift determines the OFDM spectrum and channel separation. 
     A good single frequency laser has wavelength drift of approximately 0.09 nanometers per degree Centigrade, or sixty parts per million per degree Centigrade. A typical Fabry-Perot laser is worse, with drift of about 330 parts per million per degree Centigrade. To make HDWDM or OFDM useable, very precise frequency control is essential, and frequency drift due to temperature variations and other causes must be kept within very narrow ranges. 
     There are known stabilization techniques for tuning circuits of coherent hetrodyne receivers in which an input signal is mixed with a local oscillator signal and the result is detected by a photodiode. The output signal produced by the photodiode is amplified and sent to an intermediate frequency (IF) filter. The output of the IF filter is applied to the input of a detector circuit and also is applied by means of a servo loop to the local oscillator to stabilize the local oscillator frequency. 
     There is an unmet need for a technique for greatly increasing the data throughput of an OFDM system, and more particularly, there is a need for technique for greatly decreasing the channel separation therein. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     It is an object of the invention to provide and maintain accurate channel separation in an OFDM system. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide more precise frequency locking of carrier frequencies in an OFDM system than previously has been achieved. 
     It is another object of the invention to provide a robust and cost-effective implementation for reliable, high-speed parallel computing that requires high bandwidth communications. 
     Briefly described, and in accordance with one embodiment thereof, the invention provides a first circuit that generates a plurality of optical reference signals of different frequencies during a plurality of corresponding successive time intervals, one for each OFDM channel, and a second circuit that locks an OFDM channel frequency with respect to one of the reference frequencies generated by the first circuit. 
     The first circuit, which is a reference frequency generator circuit, uses a first tunable laser to produce all reference frequencies used in the OFDM system. The laser is followed by a Fabry-Perot resonator that will pass the laser output if the laser frequency coincides with one of the resonator&#39;s passing bands. A first photodetector is used to convert the resonator&#39;s optical output to a corresponding electrical signal. A high level of the electrical signal indicates that the laser frequency is in one of the resonator&#39;s passing bands. The electrical signal is input to a control circuit that controls the laser output frequency. If the electrical signal from the photodetector is high, the control circuit output will be maintained at the same level for a predetermined time interval. During this interval, one of the reference frequencies is generated. The control output will be a stepped waveform to generate a plurality of reference frequencies, which correspond to a plurality of the resonator&#39;s consecutive passing bands. 
     The second circuit, which is part of a typical transceiver in the OFDM system, locks the OFDM channel frequency of a second tunable laser that transmits an optical signal modulated by a data input signal. The optical signal is sent to a passive optical coupler through an optical fiber. The coupler combines all laser-produced signals, including that from the first circuit and that modulated by data input signals. The second circuit includes a second photodetector that receives the combined optical signal through a second fiber. The photodetector converts the signal into an electrical signal. The electrical signal is proportional to the square of the combined optical signal, and consists of terms whose frequencies equal the difference or sum of two laser-produced signals in the combined optical signal. The electrical signal is input to an intermediate frequency (IF) filter followed by a peak detector. If the reference frequency for the second circuit that locks the corresponding OFDM channel frequency is present, and if the second tunable laser is being locked correctly, the peak detector output will be high. A servo circuit responsive to the peak signal produces an analog frequency control signal to lock the second tunable laser frequency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a diagram of a typical OFDM system. 
     FIG. 1A is a graph illustrating the spectrums of carrier signals produced by each of the transceivers in FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a prior art frequency tracking system used in each transceiver in the system of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the frequency tracking circuitry of the present invention. 
     FIG. 3A is a graph of the frequency spectrum generated by the frequency tracking system of claim 3. 
     FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the reference frequency generation circuit that can be included in the system of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control circuit 56 included in FIG. 4. 
     FIG. 6 is a timing diagram showing the reference frequencies produced by the circuit of FIG. 5 and the resulting signal P 5  (t) in FIG. 3. 
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     First, the structure of a typical transceiver circuit 1 including the novel frequency tracking of the present invention, is described. Transceiver 1 includes a tunable laser 2 which receives an input V inj  (t) as input data, j being an integer. Tunable laser diode 2 produces an output signal of frequency f sj  which is applied as an input to polarizer 20. The output of polarizer 20 is connected to one input of 1-to-2 switch 20A, the output of which is coupled by optical fiber 4 to passive coupler 31, as in FIG. 1. 
     The control input of tunable laser diode 2 is connected by conductor 5 to the output of a servo circuit 16. Servo circuit 16 produces a control signal on conductor 27 which is applied as an input to polarizer 20. Servo circuit 16 also produces a control output on conductor 59 which is applied to a control input of 1-to-2 switch 20A. 
     Another output of 1-to-2 switch 20A is connected by an optical fiber to a coupler 7A, another input of which receives the signal P in  (t), which includes the reference frequency signals having the frequencies f Mj , via optical fiber 7 from passive coupler 31. P in  (t) also includes all of the frequency spectrum components of all optical signals distributed by passive coupler 31. Coupler 7A produces an output P&#39; in  (t) on optical fiber 7B which is applied as an input to a photodiode 8. The output of photodiode 8 is applied as signal P 2  (t) on conductor 9 to the input of an IF filter (intermediate frequency filter) 10. IF filter 10 produces on conductor 11 an output P 3  (t) which is applied as an input to peak detector circuit 12. 
     Peak detector circuit 12 produces an output signal p 4  (t) on conductor 13A which is applied as an input to low pass filter 14A, the output of which produces the signal P 6  (t) applied as an input to servo circuit 16. Conductor 13A also is applied as an input to mixer 13, which receives as another input on conductor 18 the signal V inj  (t). Mixer 13 has an output 13B connected to an input of low pass filter 14. The output of low pass filter 14 produces a signal P 5  (t) on conductor 15, which is applied as an input to servo circuit 16. 
     In operation, tunable laser 2 receives a data input signal V inj  (t) on conductor 18, and produces an optical transmitted carrier signal 4 which can be modulated according to the information content of V inj  (t) The carrier frequency f sj  of tunable laser 2 is controlled by a signal 5 from a servo circuit 16. The polarization of the output of laser 2 is also controlled by a polarizer 20 and servo circuit 16 to maximize the signal P 5 . Polarizer 20 aligns the polarization of the output of laser diode 2 to the polarization of a reference signal of frequency f Mj , subsequently described. If the output of laser diode 2 and the signal having the reference frequency f Mj  are not of the same polarization, a strong signal, as is required for carrier frequency stabilization, cannot be obtained. 
     Numeral 6 designates the above mentioned frequency tracking system, which has an input connected to optical &#34;receive fiber&#34; 7. The signal P in  (t) on optical fiber 7 includes all of the frequency components in the OFDM system of FIG. 2, including the present one of the reference frequency signals of frequencies f Mj . Before the signal of frequency f sj  is locked to its reference frequency, 1-to-2 switch 20A loops back the output signal from polarizer 20 back to coupler 7A. Therefore, fiber 7 initially does not contain the local output signal from laser 2. 
     There are two stages during the stabilization of the carrier frequency. During initial reference frequency acquisition, the local transmitter signal should not be connected to passive coupler 31 in order to prevent the unstabilized signal from interfering with proper system operation. To effectuate the necessary decoupling, 1-to-2 switch 20A controlled by a signal 59 produced by servo circuit 16 directs the carrier signal output of polarizer 20 to coupler 7A, which combines the output of polarizer 20 with the signal P in  (t) via optical fiber 7 from the system passive coupler 31 (FIG. 1). 
     During the initial acquisition stage, the laser diode frequency f sj  has not yet been locked relative to a reference frequency. If the reference frequency f Mj  is present during the acquisition and is not locked by other tunable lasers, the signal P 6  (t) from low pass filter 14A is zero, and is used to activate servo circuit 16. On the other hand, if f Mj  has been locked by a tunable laser, the signal P 6  (t) is high, and servo circuit 16 is not activated. 
     When servo circuit 16 is activated, its two outputs 5 and 27 are varied one at a time in large increments until P 5  (t) can be measured by servo circuit 16. At that time the output voltage on conductor 5 will be adjusted until a maximum value of P 5  (t) on conductor 15 is maximized. After this, the tracking system switches from the acquisition stage to the &#34;tracking stage&#34;, wherein the laser diode output frequency f sj  has been locked relative to f Mj , and servo circuit 16 slowly varies its outputs on conductors 5 and 27 (that is, slowly compared to the information transmission rate of V in  (t)), if P 5  (t) is sensed to be decreasing. 
     The operation of the frequency tracking system 6 is as follows. Photodetector 8 converts the optical signal on conductor 7B to an electrical signal P 2  (t) on conductor 9. This is fed into the input of a conventional IF (intermediate frequency) filter 10. (IF filter 10 is essentially similar to IF filters in radio or optical hetrodyne receivers, so the details can be easily implemented by one skilled in the art.) An IF filter is essentially a narrow bandpass filter with a center frequency of f IF . 
     The optical signal P in  &#39;(t) on optical fiber 7B can be expressed as: ##EQU1## where i and j are integers used as summation indexes. The first term on the right side of equation (1) represents the present reference frequency signal, the second item represents the output from laser 2, and the third term in the summation represents all optical signals from other lasers in the system. Detector diode 8 then performs a direct detection function by squaring the amplitude of P in  (t), which yields the equation ##EQU2## where R is an optical-to-electrical conversion constant and f IF  &#39;=f sj  &#39;-f Mj . Therefore, if the low frequency components of ##EQU3## are outside of the IF band, and if the frequency of one of the remaining components of P 2  (t) is within f IF  of f Mj , the IF filter output will be non-zero and contains only that term. 
     IF filter 10 produces P 3  (t), which is fed into a peak detector circuit 12 that detects a peak amplitude of P 3  (t) and produces that as signal P 4  (t) on conductor 13A and feeds it into two low pass filters 14 and 14A. (See &#34;Modern Electronic Circuits Reference Manual&#34;, Chapter 101 entitled &#34;Voltage-Level Detector Circuits&#34; by John Markus, McGraw-Hill, 1980, for an implementation of peak detector circuit 12.) 
     The peak detector output on conductor 13A is sent directly to low pass filter 14A, which is identical to low pass filter 14, and performs the function of detecting whether there is any high level input. A high value at the output P 5  (t) of filter 14 indicates that the current reference frequency is being locked. During the initial acquisition stage, the output P 6  (t) of low pass filter 14A is low if the present reference frequency is not locked by other frequencies. A high value of P 6  (t) disables servo circuit 16 from performing its tracking function. Low pass filter 14A is used only during the initial acquisition stage. 
     After initial acquisition, f Mj  is locked by f sj . P 3  (t) is given by the equation 
     
         P.sub.3 (t)≈2RA.sub.M V.sub.inj (t)cos(2πf.sub.IF &#39;(t)+φ(t))H.sub.IF (f.sub.IF &#39;),                      (3) 
    
     where H IF  (f IF  &#39;) is the frequency response of the IF filter. 
     Therefore, P 4  (t) can be expressed as 
     
         P.sub.4 (t)=2RA.sub.M V.sub.inj (t)H.sub.IF (f.sub.IF &#39;).  (4) 
    
     If the present reference frequency is not locked by f sj , but by another laser at f si  (i≠j), P 4  (t) is 
     
         P.sub.4 (t)=2RA.sub.M V.sub.inj (t)H.sub.IF (f.sub.IF).    (4&#39;) 
    
     Mixer 13 multiplies P 4  (t) with (V inj  (t)-V inj  (t)). Therefore, the signal P 5  (t) produced at the output of low pass filter 14 is given by 
     
         P.sub.5 (t)=2RA.sub.M V.sub.ini (t)[V.sub.inj (t)-V.sub.inj (t)]H.sub.IF (f.sub.IF &#39;)                                              (5) 
    
     where V inj  (t) is the average value thereof. 
     Since V ini  (t) and V inj  (t) are statistically independent, P 5  (t) will be zero if f Mj  is locked by f si . This zero signal is used to tell servo circuit 16 not to track the present reference. frequency. Servo circuit 16 will be operational if P 5  (t) is non-zero or when f Mj  is the reference frequency for f sj . 
     Since the maximum value of P 5  (t) from equation (5) occurs when f IF  =f sj  -f Mj  is at exactly the central frequency of the IF filter, the correct frequency of the output of laser 2 can be achieved by maximizing P 5  (t). Servo circuit 16 has three outputs, including output 5 to control the frequency of laser diode 2, output 27 to control the polarization produced by polarizer 20 on the output signal produced by laser diode 2, and output 59 to control 1-to-2 switch 20A. 
     A decrease of P 5  (t) may be caused by the drifting of the carrier frequency of laser 2 or by the above-mentioned misalignment of the polarizations of the reference signal and the local carrier. Servo circuit 16 then simply varies its outputs one at a time to slowly maximize P 5  (t). It should be appreciated that the servo control operation described above is merely exemplary, and may be implemented in various ways to achieve the same objective. 
     The &#34;locked frequency&#34; f sj  of laser diode 2 is equal to f Mj  +f IF . Therefore, it is necessary to use an IF filter 10 the center frequency f IF  &#39; of which is sufficiently close to the designed f IF . This is different from prior schemes that use Fabry-Perot resonators to lock or stabilize carrier frequencies, as in FIG. 2. The significance of this difference is that the present frequency tracking technique occurs in the &#34;electrical domain,&#34; rather than the &#34;optical domain&#34;. In the electrical domain, a much smaller difference frequency f IF  between the reference frequency and the local laser diode frequency can be achieved than in the optical domain. With the much smaller frequency f IF  compared to f sj , the accuracy Δf/f IF  can result in a very small frequency drift percentage Δf/f sj . For example, if f IF  is one gigahertz and Δf IF  is equal to ten megahertz, which represents a one percent error, the frequency drift percentage can be kept within 0.05 parts per million for the wavelength 1500 nanometers. This small drift percentage cannot be directly achieved in the optical domain. For example, the band separation of the Fabry-Perot resonator 33 shown in FIG. 2 can easily deviate a few percent from the designed value at optical frequencies. 
     Therefore, the forgoing frequency tracking system is very precise, and as a result, the frequency spectrums of the different signal sources in the system, such as those designated by 20, 21, 22, and 23 all are very stable. Consequently, the channel separation Δf (FIG. 3A) can be made very small, and a large number of communications channels can be fit within a predefined frequency band. 
     In FIG. 4, numeral 50 is a block diagram of the circuit which generates the reference frequency f Mj  (FIG. 3) referred to above. The structure of frequency generation circuit 50 is as follows. Tunable laser 51 has a control input connected by conductor 58 to the output of control circuit 56. The output signal of tunable laser 51 is carried by optical fiber 51A to a Fabry-Perot filter 52, the output of which is carried to passive coupler 31 (as in FIG. 1) by optical fiber 54 and has a frequency of f Mj . Optical fiber 54 is applied to the input of a photodiode 55, the output of which is coupled by conductor 55A to an input of control circuit 56. Control circuit 56 produces the ramped control signal 57 that also is shown in FIG. 4. 
     An implementation of control circuit 56 is shown in FIG. 5, in which conductor 55A is connected to the input of a comparator 61. The output of comparator 61 is connected to the input of a monostable circuit 62, the output of which produces a pulse having width T 0 , as shown. The output of monostable circuit 62 is connected to an input of counter 63, which has a clock input. The output of counter 63 is connected to the input of a digital-to-analog converter 64, the output of which is connected to conductor 58. 
     In frequency generation circuit 50, the optical output of tunable laser diode 51 is passed through Fabry-Perot filter 52 having pass bands designated by a spectrum 53, also shown in FIG. 4, and produces the optical reference frequency signal f Mj  on optical fiber 54. Photodetector circuit 55 converts the f Mj  signal in optical fiber 54 to an electrical signal 55A which is applied to a control circuit 56. Control circuit 56 produces the stepped output waveform 57 on conductor 58, which is applied to the bias voltage input of tunable laser 51 to control the frequency of the output signal produced on optical fiber 51A. Each of the steps in waveform 57 has a predetermined duration of T 0 , and each step results in a different corresponding optical frequency being produced on optical fiber 51A, and consequently results in a different reference signal frequency f Mj  being produced by laser 51. 
     Thus, the reference frequency f Mj  indicated in FIG. 3 has different values, one for each of the transceivers in FIG. 1. Convenient availability of all of the reference frequencies f Mj  by means of the single laser 51 in FIG. 5 allows economical implementation of the highly accurate system described above with reference to FIG. 3. 
     An implementation of the control circuit 56 of FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5. The electrical signal 55A is applied to a comparator circuit 61 that produces a high output when f Mj  is in one of passing bands of Fabry-Perot filter 52. When the comparator&#39;s output changes from low to high, it triggers the monostable circuit 62 to generate a pulse of duration T 0 . During the duration T 0 , counter 63 is inhibited. Therefore, the output of digital-to-analog converter 64, which generates the laser control signal 58, is stable. When the duration T 0  elapses, and the monostable circuit output becomes zero, counter 63 starts to advance at a given clock rate, producing one of the steep transitions of waveform 57 in FIG. 6 by digital-to-analog converter 64. The output signal on conductor 58 is used to bias tunable laser 51, and it will continue to increase until the frequency of the signal in optical fiber 51A reaches the next pass band 53 of Fabry-Perot filter 52, generating a signal of a new frequency fmj in optical fiber 54. That signal is detected by photodiode 55, producing an electrical signal on conductor 55A that causes comparator 61 to again trigger monostable circuit 62 and hold the output of digital-to-analog converter 58 stable for another T 0  duration. 
     FIG. 6 illustrates different master frequencies f MO , f M1 . . . f MN  which are generated by the circuit of FIG. 4 as successive values of the master frequency f Mj . 
     The above-described technique allows a single tunable laser source to generate as many reference frequencies as are needed. All of the reference frequencies are aligned to the corresponding reference frequencies by a single Fabry-Perot filter, so that stable and precise frequency differences can be easily accurately maintained among the various reference frequencies generated. The invention described is expected to be important to generating accurate carrier frequencies in lightwave technology, in which there are needs to transmit signals at higher speeds and needs to tailor the technology for more system applications. The invention allows higher signal transmission speeds without demanding higher speed electronics. It is believed that the invention will help the development of high bandwidth video communications such as high definition television and high speed parallel computing that require extensive real time communications among processors. 
     While the invention has been described with reference to several particular embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will be able to make the various modifications to the described embodiments of the invention without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. It is intended that all combinations of elements and steps which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same result are within the scope of the invention.