Optical assisted digital-to-analog conversion using dispersion-based wavelength multiplexing

A simple scheme of optical assisted digital-to-analog conversion which utilizes multiwavelength multiplexing is proposed. The output of multiple electronic digital-to-analog convertor are modulated on optical carriers with different wavelengths and sampled by ultrashort pulse train. The multiwavelength sampling pulse train is rearrange by dispersive device to complete conversion output A 7-bit experiment system with a conversion speed of about 8 GS/s demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed scheme. The conversion accuracy is greater than that in traditional intensity weighting and summing structure. By designing the input bits properly, arbitrary waveforms can be generated. The relative factors and potential performance are discussed.