Patent ID: 7218662

Claim:
A device, comprising: a laser cavity comprising a first semiconductor optical amplifier forming a first end of the laser cavity, a second semiconductor optical amplifier, and an electro-absorption modulator which forms a second end of the laser cavity and is integrated to the second semiconductor optical amplifier, wherein the electro-absorption modulator modulates light in the laser cavity in response to a modulation signal; an optical whispering gallery mode resonator located inside the laser cavity between the first and the second semiconductor amplifiers to filter light in the laser cavity; a beam splitter inside the laser cavity to split a portion of the light in the laser cavity to produce an optical output; a photodetector to receive the optical output and to convert the optical output into a detector output; and a circuit to receive the detector output and to produce the modulation signal from the detector output, wherein the beam splitter, the photodetector, the circuit, and the laser cavity forms an opto-electronic loop to support an oscillation at a frequency of the modulation of light.