Method and device for extracting a timing signal

Abstract

A method for extracting a timing signal produces a data signal from a first portion of an optical signal, extracts a timing signal from a second portion of the optical signal and adds dispersion compensation to at least one of the first and second portions of the optical signal to thereby control the amount of total dispersion in the second portion of the optical signal to be substantially different from the amount of total dispersion in the first portion of the optical signal. The timing signal extracting device uses a signal reproduction circuit to produce the data signal, a signal extraction circuit to extract the timing signal and a chromatic dispersion control apparatus to add dispersion compensation. The optical signal may be modulated by a data signal having a bit rate of X bits/second and the extracted timing signal may have a frequency of X hertz. The signal extraction circuit may be used with a phase locked loop. Here, a voltage-controlled oscillator generates a clock signal, a phase comparison circuit compares the phase of the clock signal with the phase of the extracted timing signal and a control circuit controls the phase comparison circuit, to generate a control voltage for the voltage-controlled oscillator on the basis of the comparison. The chromatic dispersion control apparatus may use a variable dispersion compensator together with an optical detector which detects the intensity of a specific frequency component of the optical signal to minimize the intensity of the specific frequency component.