OPTICAL SIGNAL DISTRIBUTION NETWORK

摘要

A network for distributing a set of independent high-frequency electrical signals comprises an optical rail waveguide (11) that is fed with a measured amount of optical power from a single source (10), and a set of optical railtaps (20, 21, 200) positioned at sequential locations along the optical rail waveguide (11). Each optical railtap functions (20, 21, 200) to extract a corresponding specified fraction of the measured amount of optical power from the optical rail waveguide (11) when a corresponding one of the independent electrical signals is applied thereto. The fractions of the measured amount of optical power extracted from the optical rail waveguide (11) at the corresponding sequential locations along the optical rail waveguide (11) constitute a set of independent high-frequency optical signals, which correspond to the independent high-frequency electrical signals.