Patent ID: 7894725

Claim:
A time-multiplexed optical waveform generator comprising: a wavelength splitter that receives an input optical signal and spectrally separates said input optical signal into a plurality of frequency components, said input optical signal being produced by a mode-locked laser; a plurality of intensity modulators receiving each of said frequency components and passing each of said frequency components for a selective time period, and then extinguishing that frequency for the remainder of a chirp time, said plurality of intensity modulators producing a plurality of first output signals; a plurality of adjustable delay lines that are positioned after each of the intensity modulators and receive said first output signals, each of said adjustable delay lines enabling phase control of each of said frequency components associated with said first output signals for compensating any relative drifts of the path lengths and phase coherently stitching a plurality of sub-chirps together, said adjustable delay lines producing a plurality of second output signals; and a wavelength combiner receiving said second output signals and recombining said output signals to produce a stair-step waveform output signal; and an optical single sideband modulator receiving said stair-step waveform output signal and sequentially introducing a sideband on each of the frequency components that sweeps a selective frequency range and matches up with the beginning of the sweep of the next optical frequency's sideband, said optical single sideband modulator being driven with a repetitive RF chirped waveform comprising a linear frequency ramp with a span equal to the repetition frequency of said mode-locked laser.