Patent ID: 6920262

Claim:
An apparatus for stretching an optical pulse to convert associated optical data from a first format to a second format, comprising: an optical retiming device adapted to receive said optical pulse with said associated optical data in said second format, wherein said optical retiming device reduces a jitter associated with said optical pulse by converting said associated optical data from said second format to said first format and outputs said optical pulse with said associated optical data in said first format; a birefringent medium adapted to receive said optical pulse with said associated optical data in said first format and adapted to propagate said optical pulse to convert said associated optical data to said second format, wherein said birefringent medium includes a first principal axis, a second principal axis which is orthogonal to said first principal axis, and a length such that a time difference between propagation along said first principal axis over said length and propagation along said second principal axis over said length is based on a duration of said optical pulse; and an input coupled to said birefringent medium and adapted to receive said optical pulse with linear polarization at a first angle relative to said first principal axis and at a second angle relative to said second principal axis.