Abstract: An optical receiver for receiving a signal from an optical fiber in a fiber-optic digital transmission system that includes a first low noise optical amplifier to amplify an input optical signal. The first low noise optical amplifier has an input 3 dB compression point lower than the desired system input sensitivity at a desired bit rate. A high power optical amplifier further amplifies the amplified optical signal, and has an automatic gain control for output signal leveling at a desired operation point of the transmission system. A high current photodetector converts the further amplified optical signal from the high power optical amplifier to an electrical signal that drives a retiming circuit without requiring further amplification of the electric signal.

Abstract: The broadband microwave frequency shifter is an electro-optical device that accomplishes frequency shifting, or translation by the use of serrodyning or mixing techniques. A first optical signal is modulated with the radio frequency signal desired to be translated and processed to produce an upconverted lower sideband optical signal. A second optical signal is frequency shifted using an optical phase shifter utilizing serrodyning techniques or by offset phase locking it to another optical signal. When the frequency shifted optical signal is combined with the upconverted optical signal and converted to an output radio frequency signal thereby producing an output microwave signal that duplicates the input microwave signal in all aspects except that its center frequency has been shifted.

Abstract: In the transmission electrical signals using an optical carrier the signal power carried by an optical carrier is proportional to the optical power. High optical power levels are desired for optical carriers that are modulated by weak electrical signals, however, significant unmodulated power is left in the original carrier after processing. To maximize the radio frequency (RF) signal power generated by a given (maximized) photodetector current (for a given input power), in this invention, the optical carrier power is reduced. This is accomplished by the addition of a narrowband optical filter, such as a Fabry-Perot filter, to reduce the average optical carrier power without reducing the modulation sidebands, which results in an increased modulation depth. Therefore, greater RF and microwave power is generated by a photodetector with the same photocurrent.

Abstract: An attenuator/filter is disclosed that is inherently tuned and provides for a stimulated Brillouin scattering effect having a predetermined threshold that fixes the output thereof at a predefined power level. The stimulated Brillouin scattering effect is disclosed as being provided by either a fused silica optical fiber or a fiber-optic ring resonator both of which act as a filter to allow selected frequencies to pass. The SBS threshold is selected to improve the sideband to carrier power ratio which, in turn, determines the modulation depth for the modulated signal.