Patent ID: 7903980

Claim:
A transamplifier comprising: one or more directly modulated optical transmitters, wherein each optical transmitter receives an input signal and transmits a transmitter output optical signal that is modulated based on the input signal, each transmitter output optical signal having a respective transmitted power level and each transmitter output optical signal having the same polarization; a polarization maintaining optical multiplexer having a plurality of inputs and at least one output, wherein each of the one or more directly modulated optical transmitters are operatively connected with a respective one of the plurality of inputs and the output is configured to transmit a combined optical signal comprised of each of the transmitter output optical signals having respective transmitted power levels and the same polarization and the combined optical signal having a combined power level; a phase-modulating waveguide having an input and an output, wherein the phase-modulating waveguide receives the combined optical signal, phase-modulates the combined optical signal, and transmits a phase-modulated combined optical signal to the output of the phase-modulating waveguide; an optical amplifier having an input and an output, wherein the input receives the phase-modulated combined optical signal, amplifies it and transmits an amplified combined optical signal to the output of the optical amplifier; and an optical demultiplexer having an input and a plurality of outputs, wherein the input is configured to receive at least a portion of the amplified combined optical signal, split the amplified combined optical signal into a plurality of discrete output optical signals of varying power and wavelength selections, and transmit each discrete output optical signal to one of the plurality of outputs.