Patent ID: 8334797

Claim:
A photonic ADC system comprising: a supercontinuum laser source for generating an optical pulse train; a first dispersion element for chirping an output of the supercontinuum laser source and for filling inter-pulse periods between pulses in the optical pulse train from the supercontinuum laser; an electro-optic modulator with an input and complementary outputs, the input of the electro-optic modulator being coupled to receive an output of the first dispersion element; a first delay element coupled to one of the complementary outputs of the electro-optic modulator; a second dispersion element coupled to receive both complementary outputs of the electro-optic modulator, the second dispersion element comprising a single dispersion element; a wavelength demultiplexer coupled to receive a time-stretched output of the second dispersion element, the wavelength demultiplexer having a plurality of outputs; a plurality of optical splitters, each one of said plurality of optical splitters having an input coupled to one of the outputs of the wavelength demultiplexer and each splitter also having a pair of outputs; a plurality of second delay elements, each one of the plurality of second delay elements being coupled to one of the outputs of each of said plurality of optical splitters; and a plurality of double balanced photoreceivers, each one of the plurality of doubled balanced photoreceivers being coupled to the outputs of a corresponding one of the plurality of optical splitters so the each one of the plurality of doubled balanced photoreceivers receives one output of the corresponding one of the plurality of optical splitters which is delayed by a corresponding one of said plurality of second delay elements, and wherein the first delay element and each second delay element all impose identical amounts of delay.