Patent ID: 7085499

Claim:
A waveform synthesizer comprising: (a) a RF-lightwave frequency-comb generator for generating a continuous wave comb comprising a set of RE tones modulated onto a lightwave carrier, said set of RF tones comprising multiple upper and lower modulation sideband pairs, the RF-lightwave frequency-comb generator comprising multiple loops each having an optical delay line, the optical delay lines in the different loops having different lengths, at least one photodetector, and an optical intensity modulator, the optical delay lines receiving an optical output of the optical intensity modulator, the output of the optical intensity modulator also being supplied to the multi-tone, frequency selective modulator, the outputs of the optical delay lines being detected by said at least one photodetector, the output of the detector being coupled to the optical intensity modulator, wherein spacing between RF tones in said set of RF tones is determined by a delay through a shortest of the optical delay lines; (b) a multi-tone, frequency selective modulator coupled to the RF-lightwave frequency-comb generator and configured to produce a modulated RF-lightwave frequency comb; and (c) a photodetector for producing a synthesized RE waveform from said lightwave carrier and said multiple upper and lower modulation sideband pairs in said modulated RF-lightwave frequency comb.