Precise, High-Bandwidth Digital-to-Analog Conversion by Optical Sinc-Pulse Sequences

A concept for a precise digital-to-analog conversion based on optically generated sinc-pulse sequences is proposed. Since only standard elements of optical telecommunications are required, the concept has the potential to be integrated on a silicon photonics platform. The achievable analog bandwidth and corresponding sampling rate can be three to four times the bandwidth of the incorporated photonic and electronic components. Since experimental results for the integrated digital-to-analog converter (DAC) are not yet available, besides simulations, we present proof-of-concept experimental results for the generation of precise sinc-pulse sequences and the analog-to-digital conversion (ADC) with these pulse sequences.