Multi-element optical links

An apparatus comprising:

• a plurality of optical modulators;
• a plurality of respective optical waveguides communicating with said plurality of optical modulators, said plurality of respective optical waveguides in operation comprising a plurality of respective optical waveguide fields;
• an incoherent optical signal combiner communicating with said plurality of respective optical waveguides;
• one of a phase-balanced photodetector and a phase-balanced photodetector array communicating with said incoherent optical signal combiner;
• an output radio frequency waveguide communicating with said one of a phase-balanced photodetector and a phase-balanced photodetector array and outputting an output radio frequency signal;
• an input radio frequency waveguide;
• a radio-frequency-to-optical-radio-frequency-impedance-matching interface communicating with said input radio frequency waveguide and said plurality of optical modulators;
• an optical output interface communicating with said plurality of optical waveguides and said output radio frequency waveguide.
• wherein said input radio frequency waveguide in operation comprises an input radio frequency waveguide field, the input radio frequency waveguide field interacting with the plurality of respective optical output waveguide fields to convert an input radio frequency signal into the plurality of optical signals,
• wherein said optical output interface comprises:
• a first optical wavelength division multiplexer, said first optical wavelength division multiplexer comprising at least one of a first interleaver, a first arrayed waveguide grating, a first thin film filter, a first Fabry-Perot filter, and a first fiber Bragg grating;
• an optical signal processor communicating with said first optical wavelength division multiplexer, said optical signal processor comprising at least one of a time delay, a switch, an amplitude control and a frequency control;
• and
• a second optical wavelength division multiplexer communicating with said optical signal processor, said second optical wavelength division multiplexer comprising at least one of a second interleaver, a second arrayed waveguide grating, a second thin film filter, a second Fabry-Perot filter, and a second fiber Bragg grating;
• and
• said one of a phase-balanced photodetector and a phase-balanced photodetector array communicating with said second optical wavelength division multiplexer,
• wherein said output radio frequency waveguide in operation comprises an output radio frequency waveguide field, the plurality of respective optical waveguide fields interacting with the output radio frequency waveguide field to convert a plurality of optical signals into the output radio frequency signal.

An apparatus comprising:

• an optical output interface comprising a first optical wavelength division multiplexer;
• an optical signal processor communicating with said first optical wavelength division multiplexer;
• and a second optical wavelength division multiplexer communicating with said optical signal processor;
• an input radio frequency waveguide;
• a radio-frequency-to-optical-radio-frequency-impedance-matching interface communicating with said input radio frequency waveguide;
• a plurality of optical modulators communicating with said radio-frequency-to-optical-radio-frequency-impedance-matching interface;
• and
• a plurality of respective optical waveguides communicating with said plurality of optical modulators, said plurality of respective optical waveguides in operation comprising a plurality of respective optical waveguide fields,
• wherein said input radio frequency waveguide in operation comprises an input radio frequency waveguide field, the input radio frequency waveguide field interacting with the plurality of respective optical waveguide fields to convert an input radio frequency signal into a plurality of optical signals,
• wherein said first second optical wavelength division multiplexer comprises at least one of a first interleaves, a first arrayed waveguide grating, a first thin film filter, a first Fabry-Perot filter, and a first fiber Bragg grating,
• wherein said optical signal processor comprises at least one of a time delay, a switch, an amplitude control, and a frequency control,
• wherein said second optical wavelength division multiplexer comprises at least one of a second interleaver, a second arrayed waveguide grating, a second thin film filter, a second Fabry-Perot filter, and a second fiber Bragg grating.