Patent ID: 7266307

Claim:
An apparatus for producing optical pulses for use to improve a Q-factor of a transmission link, comprising: a light source configured to produce an optical signal; and a pulse generator coupled to the light source, the pulse generator configured to receive, for a first channel, the optical signal and a clock signal, the pulse generator configured to modify the optical signal based on the clock signal to produce an optical pulse having a predetermined pulse shape, the clock signal being associated with the predetermined pulse shape, the predetermined pulse shape being based on a transmission characteristic of the transmission link; wherein the light source is a comb generator configured to produce the optical signal having a first spectral component, a second spectral component and a third spectral component associated with the first channel; the pulse generator includes a demultiplexer, a modulator and a multiplexer, the demultiplexer being coupled to the light source and the modulator, the modulator being coupled to the multiplexer; the demultiplexer is configured to send the first spectral component of the optical signal to the modulator and to send the second spectral component and the third spectral component of the optical signal to the multiplexer; the modulator is configured to modify the first spectral component of the optical signal; and the multiplexer is configured to combine the modified first spectral component of the optical signal, the second spectral component and the third spectral component of the optical signal for the first channel to produce the optical pulse.