An optical short pulse generating device is disclosed, in which semiconductor laser light of a fixed intensity is launched into a first semiconductor electroabsorption optical modulator which is driven by a 0V or forward bias voltage and a sinusoidal voltage, and the output light from the first optical modulator is launched into a second electroabsorption optical modulator to which is applied a bias voltage and a sinusoidal voltage having delayed from the said sinusoidal voltage for a period of time corresponding to the phase reversal thereof, whereby it is possible to generate optical short pulses of a repetition frequency twice higher than the oscillation frequency of a sinusoidal voltage generator.