Various apparatuses, circuits, systems, and methods for optical communication are disclosed. In some implementations, an apparatus includes multiple lasers that input an electronic signal. Each laser encodes and outputs a respective optical data signal based on the electronic signal. Each laser has a different configuration of one or more first optical parameters. A first selection circuit selects the respective optical data signal from one of the lasers. Multiple optical components configure second optical parameters of an input optical data signal. A second selection circuit inputs the selected optical data signal from the first selection circuit and provides the selected optical data signal to one of the optical components. A third selection circuit selects the optical data signal output from the one optical component.

An optical transmitter, an optical receiver, and an optical transmission method are disclosed. The optical transmitter includes an optical signal generator, N spreaders, N pairs of data modulators, and a combiner, where the optical signal generator generates N optical carriers; an i.sup.th spreader spreads an i.sup.th optical carrier, to obtain a spread optical signal having two subcarriers; splits the spread optical signal into a first optical signal and a second optical signal; and delays the second optical signal to obtain a third optical signal; an i.sup.th pair of data modulators modulate the first optical signal and the third optical signal to obtain a pair of modulated optical signals, transmit the pair of modulated optical signals to the combiner, where the pair of modulated optical signals reaching the combiner differ by 1/(4 fsi) in time domain; and the combiner combines, into one optical signal, N pairs of modulated optical signals.

An optical transmitter includes a bias supplying unit configured to supply a first bias voltage, a second bias voltage and a third bias voltage to an optical modulator. The bias supplying unit acquires a first voltage value at which an average value of an optical output signal becomes maximum by sweeping the first bias voltage, acquires a second voltage value at which an average value of the optical output signal becomes maximum by sweeping the second bias voltage, and acquires a third voltage value at which an average value of the optical output signal becomes maximum by sweeping the third bias voltage. The bias supplying unit determines a value of the first bias voltage based on the first voltage value, determines a value of the second bias voltage based on the second voltage value, and determines a value of the third bias voltage based on the third voltage value.

Provided is an optical transceiver including a reference tunable laser module configured to generate and output light of a reference wavelength; a first general tunable laser module configured to generate and output light of a first wavelength; and a controller configured to control a tuning operation of the first wavelength of the first general tunable laser module, based on information about a relationship between the reference wavelength and the first wavelength.

An optical IQ modulator with automatic bias control is disclosed. A dither signal is applied to the modulator bias and its signature detected in light tapped from an output of the modulator using a phase sensitive dither detector such as a lock-in amplifier. The detected signal is processed using pre-recorded information defining the direction of the detected signal change relative to a change in the modulator bias, and the bias is adjusted in the direction determined using the information. The IQ phase bias is controlled by dithering I and Q optical signals in quadrature to produce opposite-sign single subband modulation of output light at two different dither frequencies, and detecting an oscillation at a difference frequency using a lock-in detector.

A driving circuit includes a plurality of differential amplifier circuits each electrically connected to a power supply line. Each differential amplifier circuit includes a differential pair circuit and a series resistance circuit. In the differential pair circuit, a first transistor and a second transistor are electrically connected to the power supply line through a first load resistor and a second load resistor, respectively. A center node is electrically connected between the first transistor and the second transistor. Each differential amplifier circuit generates a differential output signal in accordance with a differential incoming signal. The series resistance circuit includes a resistor and a line element. The line element includes a signal line which extends straight with a distance between the signal line and a ground line extending in parallel thereto. The resistor and the line element are connected in series between the center node and a static potential line.

An optical data transmitter comprising two or more serially connected optical modulators, each driven using a respective DAC. The digital signals applied to the individual DACs are produced using different respective subsets of the set of bitstreams representing the digital waveform or data stream to be transmitted, with the bitstream subsets being selected, e.g., such that (i) each of the individual DACs is able to support the digital resolution and sampling rate needed for properly handling the subset of bitstreams applied thereto and (ii) differences between average driving powers applied to different optical modulators are relatively small. In different embodiments, the two or more serially connected optical modulators can be arranged for generating optical communication signals of different modulation formats, e.g., PSK, ASK, PAM, IM, and QAM. Some embodiments can advantageously be used for generating optical communication signals employing constellations of relatively large sizes, e.g., larger than 1000 symbols.

An apparatus includes a laser, an optical power combiner, and an electronic controller. The laser has a plurality of modulatable optical reflectors and is operable to emit mutually coherent optical beams from the modulatable optical reflectors. The optical power combiner has a first optical inputs connected to receive light of one of the optical beams emitted from a first of the modulatable optical reflectors and has a second optical input connected to receive light of one of the optical beams emitted from a second of the modulatable optical reflectors. The electronic controller is connected to operate the first and second of the modulatable optical reflectors to modulate the optical beams emitted therefrom to carry respective first and second data streams. The optical power combiner is connected to interfere the light received from the first and second of the modulatable optical reflectors with a relative phase difference.

An optical digital to analog converter (oDAC) that may include (a) multiple optical paths that are parallel to each other; (b) a combiner, (c) a splitter that is configured to receive an optical signal at a splitter input and split the optical signal between multiple splitter outputs to provide multiple path input signals to the multiple optical paths. The multiple optical paths are configured to optically process, in parallel, path input signals to provide path output signals. Each optical path is configured to apply an optical process that comprises applying optical modulation, by an optical gate of the optical path and under a control of an electrical modulator, to provide an optical signal having a value selected out of multiple constellation levels. The combiner is configured to add the multiple path output signals to provide an oDAC output signal having a value selected from values of a single quadrature constellation.

According to a signal transmitting method, a signal receiving method, and a related device and system, a generated single-wavelength optical carrier may be split into N subcarriers with a same wavelength by using a splitting device, corresponding data modulation and corresponding amplitude spread spectrum modulation are performed on the N subcarriers by using N spreading codes and N low-speed data signals obtained by deserializing a received high-speed data signal, to obtain N spread spectrum modulation signals, and the N spread spectrum modulation signals are combined and output. A multicarrier generation apparatus or the like having a relatively complex structure does not need to be used for optical carrier splitting, and spectrum spreading does not need to be performed in a phase modulation manner in which a plurality of delay units or controllable phase units are required.