A waveguide device comprises a substrate comprising an electro-optical material; a waveguide formed in the electro-optical material; and a plurality of electrodes formed in a vicinity of the waveguide. The electro-optical material has a first refractive index. The waveguide comprises a plurality of tracks. The tracks comprise a second refractive index smaller than the first refractive index, are parallel to each other with a common direction defining a direction of the waveguide, and form an arrangement in a plane perpendicular to the direction of the waveguide. The arrangement comprises at least 40 equilateral triangles of identical side lengths, wherein all three corners of each of the equilateral triangles each coincide with a different track of the plurality of tracks in the plane perpendicular to the direction of the waveguide.

The optical modulator includes an optical modulation element having a first optical waveguide, a second optical waveguide, a first electrode which applies an electric field to the first optical waveguide, and a second electrode which applies an electric field to the second optical waveguide, and a control unit configured to control an applied voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode. When a half-wave voltage of the optical modulation element is Vπ and a null point voltage of the optical modulation element is Vn, the control unit sets an operating point Vd in a range of Vn+0.50Vπ≤Vd≤Vn+0.75Vπ or Vn−0.75Vπ≤Vd≤Vn−0.50Vπ and sets an applied voltage width Vpp, which is an amplitude of an applied voltage applied to the optical modulation element, in a range of 0.22Vπ≤Vpp≤0.50Vπ.

An optical arrangement for light beam shaping in a light microscope has a first and a second liquid crystal region, each of which has a plurality of independently switchable liquid crystal elements with which a phase of incident light is changeable in a settable manner. A first polarization beam splitter is arranged in such a way that incident light is split in a polarization-dependent manner into reflection light, which is reflected in the direction of the first liquid crystal region, and transmission light, which is transmitted in the direction of the second liquid crystal region. The first or a second polarization beam splitter is arranged such that the reflection light and transmission light are combined onto a common beam path after phase modulation by means of the liquid crystal regions.

A method may include thinning a silicon wafer to a particular thickness. The particular thickness may be based on a passband frequency spectrum of an adjustable optical filter. The method may also include covering a surface of the silicon wafer with an optical coating. The optical coating may filter an optical signal and may be based on the passband frequency spectrum. The method may additionally include depositing a plurality of thermal tuning components on the coated silicon wafer. The plurality of thermal tuning components may adjust a passband frequency range of the adjustable optical filter by adjusting a temperature of the coated silicon wafer. The passband frequency range may be within the passband frequency spectrum. The method may include dividing the coated silicon wafer into a plurality of silicon wafer dies. Each silicon wafer die may include multiple thermal tuning components and may be the adjustable optical filter.

A metrology apparatus for determining a characteristic of interest of a structure on a substrate, the apparatus comprising: a radiation source configured to generate illumination radiation; at least two illumination branches comprising at least one optical fiber and configured to illuminate a structure on a substrate from different angles; and a radiation switch configured to receive the illumination radiation and transfer at least part of the radiation to a selectable one of the at least two illumination branches.

A manipulator device such as a robot arm that is capable of increasing manufacturing throughput for additively manufactured parts, and allows for the manipulation of parts that would be difficult or impossible for a human to move is described. The manipulator can grasp various permanent or temporary additively manufactured manipulation points on a part to enable repositioning or maneuvering of the part.

In some embodiments, an augmented reality system includes at least one waveguide that is configured to receive and redirect light toward a user, and is further configured to allow ambient light from an environment of the user to pass therethrough toward the user. The augmented reality system also includes a first adaptive lens assembly positioned between the at least one waveguide and the environment, a second adaptive lens assembly positioned between the at least one waveguide and the user, and at least one processor operatively coupled to the first and second adaptive lens assemblies. Each lens assembly of the augmented reality system is selectively switchable between at least two different states in which the respective lens assembly is configured to impart at least two different optical powers to light passing therethrough, respectively. The at least one processor is configured to cause the first and second adaptive lens assemblies to synchronously switch between different states in a manner such that the first and second adaptive lens assemblies impart a substantially constant net optical power to ambient light from the environment passing therethrough.

In some examples, a microstructured fiber comprises a cladding material surrounding at least one core material, wherein the at least one core material comprises an array of discrete devices contacted in parallel. A method of producing a microstructured fiber may include 3D-printing a fiber preform, thermally drawing the fiber preform into a fiber that preserves the cross-sectional geometry of the fiber preform, and axially patterning the fiber into a microstructured fiber comprising an array of discrete devices contacted in parallel. In some embodiments, microstructured fibers may be integrated into a sensory textile that includes at least one of an electrooptic portion, a sonar portion, a magnetic gradiometer portion, and a piezogenerating portion. In some embodiments, microstructured fibers may be formed into an in-fiber integrated quantum device circuit or an in-fiber ion trap.

In a projection display system, a light-emitting diode (LED) can generate unpolarized light. A light guide can receive the unpolarized light from a perimeter of the light guide and guide the unpolarized light between a light emission surface and an opposing surface as guided light. The light guide can include a plurality of light-extraction features that can direct a portion of the guided light out of the light guide through the light emission surface as unpolarized emitted light. A polarizing film can reflect at least some of a first polarization state of the unpolarized emitted light into the light guide through the light emission surface and can transmit at least some of a second polarization state of the unpolarized emitted light through the polarizing film to form a polarized light beam. An angular reduction film can reduce a range of propagation angles of the polarized light beam.

A polarization modulator includes a first liquid crystal cell and a second liquid crystal cell. The first liquid crystal cell has a first type of liquid crystals configured to rotate an optical axis of light parallel to a first plane of the first liquid crystal cell. The second liquid crystal cell is configured to receive the light from the first liquid crystal cell. The second liquid crystal cell has a second type of liquid crystals configured to rotate the optical axis of the light perpendicular to a second plane of the second liquid crystal cell.