Patent ID: 7231109

Claim:
An electronic-to-optical multiplexer with n electronic inputs, an optical multiplexer frame sync signal, and an optical output comprising: n electronic-to-optical converters each with an input an output where the inputs are connected to the electronic inputs of the electronic-to-optical multiplexer and where each output has a different wavelength; a wavelength multiplexer with n inputs and one output where the inputs are connected to the outputs of the electronic-to-optical converters; a first optical switch with a broadband input, a control input, and an output where the broadband input is connected to the output of the wavelength multiplexer and where the control input is connected to the optical multiplexer frame sync signal; a delay means with an input and an output where the delay is wavelength dependent and where the input is connected to the output of the first optical switch; a single wavelength optical source; and a second optical switch with an broadband input, a control input, and an output where the broadband input is connected to the output of the single wavelength optical source, where the control input is connected to the output of the delay means, and where the output is connected to the optical output of the electronic-to-optical multiplexer; whereby the electronic-to-optical converters convert the n electronic input signals into n optical signals; the wavelength multiplexer combines the different wavelength optical signals; the first optical switch samples the optical signals by gating the optical signals with the optical multiplexer frame sync signal; the delay means temporally interlace the optical signals by staggering the different wavelength optical signals; the second optical switch converts the wavelength of the wavelength multiplexed, sampled, temporally interlaced, optical signals by using the optical signal to gate the single wavelength optical source signal; and the gated single wavelength optical source signal is used as the output of the electronic-to-optical converter.