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US 11,885,675 B1Granted
Electro-optical analog to digital conversion
OwnerNajeeb Ashraf Khalidinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Electro-optical conversion of an input analog signal and optical modulation of the optical signal to provide light of different intensity levels to 2n photodetection sites whose outputs can be encoded as an n-bit digital output value. The sample rate can exceed 10 GHz (rates above 100 GHz are possible) with much greater simplicity of electronic circuitry.
Claims12
An analog to digital conversion device comprising:
- a light source having an analog electrical signal input and an optical output at an output optical power level variable as a function of a level of said electrical input;
- a waveguide connected to the optical output at an input and emitting over a detection surface of said waveguide a decaying level of optical power in proportion to said output optical power level;
- an array of 2n photosensitive circuit elements on a single semiconductor substrate coupled with said surface of said waveguide, each one of the photosensitive circuit elements having a digital output depending on light intensity and positioned to receive a different level of optical power depending on its position in said array;
- and
- an encoder responsive to said digital output from each one of the 2n photosensitive circuit elements and having a digital value output of n-bits.
2 more elements
A method for converting an analog electrical signal to a digital value, comprising:
- converting an electrical input signal into an optical signal whose intensity corresponds to an analog level of said electric input signal;
- modulating said optical signal over a detection area so as to have a locally variable intensity as a function of position on the detection area;
- detecting at 2n locations within the detection area a light intensity threshold to provide 2n bits corresponding to 2n levels of said analog level of said electric input signal;
- and
- converting the 2n bits into an n-bit digital value.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.