Highly tunable, low jitter optical clock generation
US8571421B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 22, 2008 |
| Grant date | Oct 29, 2013 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 13, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L7/0008
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An apparatus is disclosed for the optical generation of clock signals with tunable frequency and low jitter. A laser source serves as both the carrier used to transmit the clock signal for use by other optical, electronic or hybrid circuit elements and the original modulation time base. A fraction of the original laser source undergoes one or more stages of frequency division before being recombined as a modulation signal with the remaining laser beam. Transmission of the resulting signal via single mode fiber and dividers retains the low jitter properties of the modulated signal. By starting with a clock signal of optical frequency then dividing downward in frequency, comparatively high frequency clocks may be generated, notably in the GigaHertz and TeraHertz frequency ranges.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.