All-Optical Analog-to-Digital Conversion Using Inherent Multiwavelength Phase Shift in LiNbO$_{3}$ Phase Modulator

All-optical analog-to-digital conversion utilizing inherent multiwavelength phase shift in lithium niobate phase modulator is proposed. In the experimental demonstration, a wavelength-tunable continuous-wave laser diode and a lithium niobate phase modulator are used to quantize the sinusoidal tone electrical analog signal. Using 16 different wavelengths, an effective number of bits of 4.3-bit has been obtained after software sampling measurement. Benefits of the presented approach in this letter are its simple realization of the phase shift and high stability.