US Patent 7099359 Optical pulse train generator

An optical pulse train generator (2) for use in the transmission of high speed optical data in a return-to-zero (RZ) signalling format is described. The generator (2) comprises a light source (4) operable to produce an unmodulated output; an electro-optic interferometric optical modulator (6) for intensity modulating the unmodulated optical output in dependence on an sinusoidal drive voltage (vdrive) to produce a modulated optical signal, wherein the modulator (6) has an optical transmission versus drive voltage characteristic which is sinusoidal in form and wherein the modulator (6) is operable about a point of minimum optical transmission of said characteristic and said drive voltage has a amplitude (Vdrive) which exceeds one cycle (Vπ) of said characteristic such that the modulated optical signal is non-sinusoidal; and optical pulse shaping means (8, 10, 12) for aligning the phase of the frequency components of said modulated optical signal to produce an optical pulse train in which the pulses are substantially transform limited.