All optical clock recovery

1. A receiver for recovering an optical timing signal and adapted for use with a transmitter producing a dynamically synchronizable timing signal, the transmitter having an external resonator for feedback of the timing signal to the transmitter, the feedback having a delay time greater than a relaxation oscillation time for the transmitter, the transmitter outputting an optical timing signal having a characteristic dynamic, and wherein the receiver for recovering the optical timing signal comprises:

a semiconductor laser configured to receive the timing signal and adapted to synchronize to the transmitter on receipt of the timing signal, whereby the laser outputs a recovered dining signal having the characteristic dynamic.

2. A receiver of claim 1 , wherein the laser is a diode.

3. A receiver of claim 1 ,

wherein the timing signal being fed back to the transmitter is fed at an average power.

4. A receiver of claim 1 wherein the timing signal inputted to the receiver laser is at the average power.

5. A receiver of claim 1

wherein the timing signal used to dynamically synchronize the receiver laser is directly received from the output of the transmitter.

6. A receiver of claim 1 , wherein the timing signal used to dynamically synchronize the receiver laser is indirectly received from the output of the transmitter.

7. A receiver of claim 1 , wherein the transmitter includes a semiconductor laser which is substantially the same as the semiconductor laser configured to receive the timing signal.

8. A receiver of claim 1 , wherein the external resonator has an external cavity configuration.

9. A receiver of claim 8 , further comprising a first polarizer placed in the external cavity, and a second polarizer placed before the semiconductor laser.

10. A receiver of claim 1 , wherein the external resonator is in an external waveguide configuration.

11. A receiver of claim 1 , wherein the laser is a distributed Bragg reflector configuration.

12. A method of timing an optical link comprising the steps of:

generating a dynamically synchronizable timing signal by a transmitter laser;

resonating the timing signal in an external resonator, wherein the feedback of the timing signal in the resonator has a delay time greater than a relaxation oscillation time for the transmitter laser;

outputting the timing signal from the transmitter laser for propagation along an optical path; and

using the timing signal to dynamically synchronize a semiconductor receiver laser,

wherein the step of using the timing signal to dynamically synchronize the receiver laser includes the steps of;

inputting the timing signal to the receiver laser;

synchronizing the receiver to the transmitter laser; and

outputting the timing signal from the receiver for propagation along the optical path,

wherein the timing signal outputted from the receiver is used to dynamically synchronizer a subsequent receiver laser positioned along the optical path.

13. An optical link comprising:

a transmitter for generating a dynamically synchronizable optical timing signal, the transmitter having an external resonator for feedback of the timing signal thereto, the feedback having a delay time greater than the relaxation oscillation time for the transmitter, so as to output the optical timing signal having a characteristic dynamic; and

a receiver configured to receive the dynamically synchronizable timing signal outputted with the characteristic dynamic from the transmitter, the receiver synchronizing to the transmitter and outputting a recovered timing signal having the characteristic dynamic, including a plurality of spaced apart receivers, each positioned in sequence along an optical path, each of the plurality of receivers configured to receive the dynamically synchronizable timing signal originally outputted with the characteristic dynamic from the transmitter, each of the plurality of receivers synchronizing to the transmitter on receiving the signal and outputting a recovered timing signal having the characteristic dynamic.

14. An optical link comprising:

a transmitter for generating a dynamically synchronizable optical timing signal, the transmitter having an external resonator for feedback of the timing signal thereto, the feedback having a delay time greater than the relaxation oscillation time for the transmitter, so as to output the optical timing signal having a characteristic dynamic; and

a receiver configured to receive the dynamically synchronizable timing signal outputted with the characteristic dynamic from the transmitter, the receiver synchronizing to the transmitter and outputting a recovered timing signal having the characteristic dynamic,

wherein the transmitter includes a first semiconductor laser and the receiver includes a second semiconductor laser.

15. An optical link of claim 14 wherein the first semiconductor laser is substantially the same as the second semiconductor laser.

16. An optical link of claim 14 , wherein the first semiconductor laser is in an external cavity configuration.

17. An optical link of claim 16 , wherein the external cavity length is selected to yield a feedback delay time greater than the relaxation oscillation time.

18. An optical link of claim 16 , further comprising a first polarizer placed in the external cavity, and a second polarizer placed before the receiver laser.

19. An optical link of claim 14 , wherein the external resonator is in an external waveguide configuration.

20. An optical link of claim 14 , wherein the laser is a diode.

21. An optical link of claim 16 , wherein the laser is a distributed Bragg reflector configuration.