Patent ID: 8730566

Claim:
An apparatus to generate a desired optical signal comprising: an optical oscillator including: at least one optical medium to produce optical medium signals with first and second wavelengths in response to an optical signal with a third wavelength traversing said at least one optical medium, wherein said desired optical signal includes said second wavelength; a grating to produce a grating optical signal, wherein each angular orientation of said grating relative to a longitudinal axis of said optical oscillator produces said grating optical signal with a different wavelength range; an optical element disposed between said grating and said at least one optical medium to direct corresponding optical signals toward said grating and said at least one optical medium and to remove said optical medium signals with said first wavelength from said optical oscillator, wherein said corresponding optical signals include said grating optical signal and said optical medium signals; a beam expander coupled between said optical element and said grating to expand optical signals from said optical element on said grating and to compress optical signals received from said grating for said optical element; a coupler coupled to said at least one optical medium to emit said desired optical signal from said optical oscillator with a desired linewidth and said second wavelength; a plurality of rotating assemblies to rotate said grating and each said at least one optical medium to tune said optical oscillator to generate said desired optical signal; and a control unit to scan across a tunable range of said optical oscillator, wherein said control unit is configured to: receive user-specified parameters; dynamically tune said optical oscillator and produce said desired optical signal for a time interval by controlling a configuration of said beam expander and said rotating assemblies to control angular orientations of said grating and said at least one optical medium in accordance with said user-specified parameters, wherein said grating is controlled and calibrated in accordance with a dispersion curve; and adjust said rotating assemblies to adjust said angular orientations of said grating and said at least one optical medium after said time interval to produce said desired optical signal at a next desired wavelength in said scan and delay emission of said desired optical signal from said optical oscillator until optical signals from said adjusted angular orientations converge to said next desired wavelength.