Photonic D/A

An optical method of converting N-bit serial data to parallel data comprising the steps of:

• receiving a digital serial data signal, splitting the received signal into N similar digital serial data signals, creating a time delay in each of the digital serial data signals such that the nth digital serial data signal is delayed by n bits, selecting one bit from each of the digital serial data signals at the same time to produce a digital parallel data signal.

An optical method of converting N-bit serial data to an analog signal comprising the steps of:

• receiving a digital serial data signal, splitting the received signal into N similar digital serial data signals, creating a time delay in each of the digital serial data signals such that the nth digital serial data signal is delayed by n bits, attenuating each signal such that the nth digital serial data signal has a relative power of 2(n−1), selecting one bit from each of the digital serial data signals at the same time to produce a parallel data signal, combining the N bits from the parallel signals to produce an analog signal.

An optical method of converting N-bit serial data to an analog signal comprising the steps of:

• receiving a digital serial data signal, splitting the received signal into N similar digital serial data signals, creating a time delay in each of the digital serial data signals such that the nth digital serial data signal is delayed by n bits, attenuating each signal such that the nth digital serial data signal has a relative power of 2(N−n), selecting one bit from each of the digital serial data signals at the same time to produce a parallel data signal, combining the N bits from the parallel signals to produce an analog signal.