Patent ID: 7162164

Claim:
An optical vestigial sideband transmitter comprising: a first intensity-modulated light source having an adjustable center wavelength for generating a first intensity-modulated optical signal; a second intensity-modulated light source having an adjustable center wavelength for generating a second intensity-modulated optical signal; a first optical splitter coupled to said first intensity-modulated light source; a second optical splitter coupled to said second intensity-modulated light source; a first wavelength combiner for receiving a portion of said first and second modulated signals from said first and second optical splitters; a second wavelength combiner for receiving a portion of said first and second modulated signals from said first and second optical splitters; said first wavelength combiner filtering said first and second modulated signals to generate two signals, each having a vestigial sideband spectrum, and multiplexing said signals for output to an optical transmission medium; said second wavelength combiner operating with a filter spectrum shifted by 180° compared to said first wavelength combiner; and a filter for measuring optical power output from each vestigial sideband signal emerging from said first and second wavelength combiners and for generating a control signal to regulate temperature of said first and second light sources to control central carrier wavelengths of said sources and to regulate temperature of said first and second wavelength combiners, such that the total output power of said first wavelength combiner is substantially equal to the total output power of said second wavelength combiner and such that the output power of each vestigial sideband signal emerging from each wavelength combiner is also equal.