Digital-to-analog converter
AssigneeUniversity of Seoul Industry Cooperation Foundation
InventorJu Han Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) includes multiple electro-optical converters to generate multiple first optical signals in response to multiple input signals, multiple optical attenuators to attenuate intensities of the first optical signals and to generate multiple second optical signals, an optical coupler to combine the second optical signals and to generate a third optical signal, and a photodetector to convert the third optical signal into an electrical analog signal.
Claims20
A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) comprising:
- a plurality of electro-optical converters each configured to selectively generate one of a plurality of first optical signals in response to a corresponding one of a plurality of digital input signals collectively representing a selected one of a plurality of bit patterns associated with the DAC;
- a plurality of optical attenuators, each configured to attenuate an intensity of a corresponding one of the plurality of first optical signals to generate a plurality of second optical signals, wherein each of the plurality of optical attenuators is configured to have a different optical attenuation such that the corresponding ones of the plurality of second optical signals have different intensities;
- an optical coupler configured to combine the plurality of second optical signals and to generate a third optical signal;
- and
- a photodetector configured to convert the third optical signal into an electrical analog signal having a signal level corresponding to a digital-to-analog conversion of the selected one of the plurality of bit patterns.
A method for converting a digital signal into an analog signal, comprising:
- generating a plurality of first optical signals in response to a plurality of digital input signals, the plurality of digital input signals collectively representing a selected one of a plurality of bit patterns associated with a digital-to-analog converter (DAC);
- attenuating intensities of the first optical signals using a plurality of optical attenuators, each having a different optical attenuation, to generate a plurality of second optical signals having different intensities from each other;
- combining the second optical signals to generate a third optical signal;
- and
- converting the third optical signal into an electrical analog signal having a signal level corresponding to a digital-to-analog conversion of the selected one of the plurality of bit patterns.
A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) comprising:
- a means for generating a plurality of first optical signals in response to a plurality of digital input signals, the plurality of digital input signals collectively representing a selected one of a plurality of bit patterns associated with the DAC;
- a means for attenuating intensities of the first optical signals to generate a plurality of second optical signals having different intensities from each other;
- a means for combining the second optical signals to generate a third optical signal;
- and
- a means for converting the third optical signal into an electrical analog signal having a signal level corresponding to a digital-to-analog conversion of the selected one of the plurality of bit patterns.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.