Patent ID: 7035542

Claim:
An optical time domain multiplexer system, comprising: an optical multiplexer with at least one optical data access, an optical probe access and an optical data output and including a semiconductor optical amplifier Mach-Zehnder interferometer having: a first set of at least three semiconductor optical amplifiers configured to receive n different interleaved wavelength channels, each at a bit-rate F/n, and an optical clock signal, having a frequency F and a wavelength λ c , a second set of at least two semiconductor optical amplifiers, wherein the first set and the second set are in series with one another, and a third set of at least one semiconductor optical amplifier configured to output a converted optical time domain multiplexed signal at a bit-rate of F and at a wavelength of λ c , wherein the second set and the third set are in series with one another, wherein an optical data signal carried by the n different interleaved wavelength channels and the optical clock signal are launched respectively on said at least one optical data access and said optical probe access such that in said optical multiplexer said optical data signal is synchronized with said optical clock signal to produce the converted optical time domain multiplexed signal on said optical data output.