Patent ID: 7466927

Claim:
An optical data communications system for optical transmission of data, comprising an electro-absorption modulator (EAM) device for modulating optical radiation, a source of optical radiation for the EAM device, a signal input for receiving a data signal in the form of an input series of pulses, and a drive circuit for driving the modulation of the EAM device, the EAM device being arranged to receive the optical radiation from the source of optical radiation, the drive circuit being arranged to receive the data signal from the signal input and to generate therefrom a modulation series of pulses to drive the EAM device, the drive circuit comprising a first pulse generator, a second pulse generator, and a combining circuit, wherein: the first pulse generator and the second pulse generator are arranged to generate in response to the input series of pulses respectively a first series of pulses and a second series of pulses, each of the pulses in the first series of pulses being paired with a pulse in the second series of pulses to form a pair of pulses, and both pulses of each pair of pulses having the same pulse duration, one of said pulses being delayed by a predetermined time period relative to the other pulse that paired pulses overlap partially in time; and the combining circuit is arranged to combine said partially overlapping pulses to produce the modulation series of pulses, the combining circuit thereby producing a corresponding modulation pulse of said series of modulation pulses having differing amplitudes, said differing amplitudes being attenuated during the time both pulses overlap and enhanced during at least the predetermined time period preceding the time both pulses overlap.