NONLINEAR PULSE OSCILLATOR METHODS AND APPARATUS

摘要

Methods and apparatus for implementing stable self-starting and self-sustaining high-speed electrical nonlinear pulse (e.g., soliton, cnoidal wave, or quasi-soliton) oscillators. Chip- scale nonlinear pulse oscillator devices may be fabricated using III- V semiconductor materials (e.g., GaAs) to attain soliton pulse widths on the order of a few picoseconds or less (e.g., 1 to 2 picoseconds, corresponding to frequencies of approximately 300 GHz or greater). In one example, a nonlinear pulse oscillator is implemented as a closed loop structure that comprises a nonlinear transmission line and a distributed nonlinear amplifier arrangement configured to provide a self-adjusting gain as a function of an average voltage of the oscillator signal. In another example, a nonlinear oscillator employing a lumped nonlinear amplifier and a nonlinear transmission line in a closed loop arrangement may be used in combination with a two-port nonlinear transmission line that provides additional pulse compression for pulses circulating in the oscillator.