Signal generator, process for making and using same

• US 10,050,722 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, The Board of Regents of the University of Colorado (University of Colorado System)
• Original Assignee: THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AS REPRESENTED BY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE
• Inventors: Quinlan, Franklyn J., Diddams, Scott, Fortier, Tara, Rolland, Antoine
• Primary Examiner(s): Payne, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ismail, Omar S
• Application Number:
  US14/872,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20160043810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,049 Days
• Field of Search: 398208
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/90 Non-optical transmission systems, e.g. transmission systems employing non-photonic corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2210/006 Devices for generating or processing an RF signal by optical means

Abstract

A signal generator includes an optical pulse source to provide a plurality of optical pulses; a photosensitive element configured to receive optical pulses and to produce an electrical signal from optical pulses 6, electrical signal 10 including a spectrum that includes a plurality of discrete frequencies that occur at a repetition rate corresponding to that of the optical pulses or a harmonic thereof; a frequency selector to receive the electrical signal from the photosensitive element, to select dynamically the harmonic from the electrical signal and to communicate the dynamically selected harmonic; a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) to receive the harmonic of the electrical signal from the frequency selector and to produce a first output; and a frequency converter to receive the harmonic from the frequency selector and the first output from the DDS, wherein the frequency converter shifts a frequency of the harmonic by an amount substantially equal to a frequency of the first output from the DDS to produce a second output.

Claims

1. A signal generator comprising:

an optical pulse source to provide a plurality of optical pulses;

a photosensitive element configured to receive optical pulses and to produce an electrical signal from the optical pulses 6, the electrical signal 10 comprising a spectrum that comprises a plurality of discrete frequencies that occur at a repetition rate corresponding to that of the optical pulses or a harmonic thereof;

a frequency selector to receive the electrical signal from the photosensitive element, to select dynamically the harmonic from the electrical signal, and to communicate the dynamically selected harmonic;

a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) to receive the harmonic of the electrical signal from the frequency selector and to produce a first output; and

a frequency converter to;

receive the harmonic from the frequency selector and the first output from the DDS; and

shift a frequency of the harmonic by an amount substantially equal to a frequency of the first output from the DDS to produce a second output.

2. A signal generator comprising:

an optical pulse source to provide a plurality of optical pulses;

a photosensitive element configured to receive optical pulses and to produce an electrical signal from the optical pulses 6, the electrical signal 10 comprising a spectrum that comprises a plurality of discrete frequencies that occur at a repetition rate corresponding to that of the optical pulses or a harmonic thereof;

a frequency selector to receive the electrical signal from the photosensitive element, to select dynamically the harmonic from the electrical signal, and to communicate the dynamically selected harmonic;

a direct digital synthesizer (DDS) to receive the harmonic of the electrical signal from the frequency selector and to produce a first output; and

a frequency converter to;

receive the harmonic from the frequency selector and the first output from the DDS; and

shift a frequency of the harmonic by an amount substantially equal to a frequency of the first output from the DDS to produce a second output; and

a frequency extender to receive the second output from the frequency converter and to produce a third output.