A supercontinuum optical pulse source provides a combined supercontinuum, and can comprise one or more seed pulse sources; first and second optical amplifiers arranged along first and second respective optical paths, wherein the first and second optical amplifiers are configured to amplify one or more optical signals generated by the one or more seed pulse sources; a first microstructured light-guiding member arranged along the first optical path and configured to generate supercontinuum light responsive to an optical signal propagating along the first optical path; a second microstructured light-guiding member arranged along the second optical path and configured to generate supercontinuum light responsive to an optical signal propagating along the second optical path; a supercontinuum-combining member to combine supercontinuum generated in at least the first and second microstructured light-guiding members to form a combined supercontinuum; wherein the supercontinuum-combining member comprises an output fibre, wherein the output fibre comprises a silica-based multimode optical fibre supporting a plurality of spatial modes at one or more wavelengths of the combined supercontinuum; wherein the supercontinuum-combining member has one or more input fibres which support no more than four spatial modes at any wavelength within the combined supercontinuum; and wherein the output fibre of the supercontinuum-combining member supports no more than four spatial modes at any wavelength within the combined supercontinuum.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for optical communications. In one aspect, an optical circulator array includes a plurality of stacked three port circulators each having a respective first port of a first port array, a respective second port of a second port array, and a respective third port of a third port array. Each of the plurality of staked three port circulators share optical components including a first micro lens array optically coupled to the first port array and the third port array, a first walk off crystal, a first half wave plate, a first faraday rotator, a first birefringence wedge pair, a second birefringence wedge pair, a second Faraday rotator, a second half wave plate, a second birefringence walk off crystal, and a second micro lens array optically coupled to the second port array.

A liquid crystal panel and a cross-shaped spacer structure thereof are disclosed. The liquid crystal panel includes an array substrate, a color filter substrate, and a cross-shaped spacer structure sandwiched between the array substrate and the color filter substrate. The cross-shaped spacer structure includes a plurality of H-shaped first spacers disposed on the upper surface of the array substrate and a plurality of strip-like second spacers disposed on the lower surface of the color filter substrate. The end surface of the crossbar of each one of the H-shaped first spacers and the end surface of each one of the strip-like second spacers are abutted against each other in a cross manner. Thus, when the liquid crystal panel is impacted by external force, the H-shaped first spacers and the strip-like second spacers can keep a tight abutment therebetween, so as to ensure the display quality of the liquid crystal panel.

An aspect of the present invention is an optical modulator, comprising a waveguide substrate and a multiplexing optical system. The waveguide substrate includes a first modulation portion, a second modulation, a first optical path and a second optical path. The multiplexing optical system includes a first surface and a second surface. First output light output from the first optical path and second output light output from the second optical path are input from the first surface and are output after there are combined at a combining point of the second surface. An optical path length between the first surface and the combining point in the first output light is larger than that of in the second output light. An optical path length between the first modulation portion and the first surface and an optical path length between the second modulation portion and the first surface are different.

An optical module includes: a driver; an optical modulator; a connector that is electrically connected to either the driver or the optical modulator and is provided with an input/output terminal; and a flexible substrate that has flexibility, is connected to the connector, and transfers an electrical signal generated by the driver to the optical modulator, wherein in an end part connected to the connector, the flexible substrate has, on a first surface facing the input/output terminal, a signal-purpose wiring pattern used for transferring the electrical signal and a ground-purpose wiring pattern formed along the signal-purpose wiring pattern, and has, on a second surface that is different from the first surface, a ground electrode that partially covers the second surface and has a shorter electrical distance to the signal-purpose wiring pattern than an electrical distance between the signal-purpose wiring pattern and the ground-purpose wiring pattern.

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for optical communications. In one aspect, an optical circulator array includes a plurality of stacked three port circulators each having a respective first port of a first port array, a respective second port of a second port array, and a respective third port of a third port array, wherein each of the plurality of stacked three port circulators share optical components including: a first Wollaston prism coupled to the first port array, a first lens, a first half wave plate, a polarization dependent beam path separator, a second half wave plate, a second lens, a propagation direction dependent polarization rotation assembly, a second Wollaston prism coupled to the second port array, and a third Wollaston prism coupled to the third port array.

A supercontinuum optical pulse source provides a combined supercontinuum. The supercontinuum optical pulse source comprises one or more seed pulse sources, and first and second optical amplifiers arranged along first and second respective optical paths. The first and second optical amplifiers are configured to amplify one or more optical signals generated by said one or more seed pulse sources. The supercontinuum optical pulse source further comprises a first microstructured light-guiding member arranged along the first optical path and configured to generate supercontinuum light responsive to an optical signal propagating along said first optical path, and a second microstructured light-guiding member arranged along the second optical path and configured to generate supercontinuum light responsive to an optical signal propagating along said second optical path. The supercontinuum optical pulse source further comprises a supercontinuum-combining member to combine supercontinuum generated in at least the first and second microstructured light-guiding members to form a combined supercontinuum. The supercontinuum-combining member comprises an output fiber, wherein the output fiber comprises a silica-based multimode optical fiber supporting a plurality of spatial modes at one or more wavelengths of the combined supercontinuum.

An optical waveguide element includes a substrate, an optical waveguide disposed inside the substrate or on the substrate, and an electrode provided along the optical waveguide, working on the optical waveguide to generate a phase change in a light wave propagating through the optical waveguide. The electrode is a traveling-wave electrode. In a modulation section where the light wave is controlled by the electrode, the electrode and the optical waveguide are configured so that the phase change generated in a first modulation section located within a predetermined distance range from a downstream side end portion along a propagation direction of a traveling wave of an electrical signal propagating through the electrode has a sign opposite to a sign of the phase change generated in a second modulation section located within a predetermined distance range from an input end of the electrical signal on an upstream side along the propagation direction.

A spatial light modulator system includes a concentration layer including an array of optical concentrators, such that each concentrator concentrates a portion of an input light beam. A modulation layer includes an array of light modulators each in optical communication with one of the optical concentrators for modulating the portion of the input light beam. The light modulators are spaced apart from one another in the modulation layer to form gaps between adjacent ones of the light modulators. A coil of each light modulator can surround a Faraday element or core containing a Faraday material to control a magnetic state of a Faraday material responsive to control signals.

An optical semiconductor device includes an optical modulator provided on a substrate, an optical waveguide provided on the substrate, one end of the optical waveguide being connected to a light emission side of the optical modulator and another end of the optical waveguide being present at an end portion of the substrate, a phase adjusting unit provided on a path of the optical waveguide and an optical amplification unit provided on the path of the optical waveguide, wherein a minimum value or a maximum value of a transmittance spectrum having a ripple that periodically fluctuates with respect to a frequency because of multiple reflection of light that occurs between the one end and the other end of the optical waveguide is matched with a wavelength of the light input to the optical modulator by phase adjustment of the phase adjusting unit, and an error vector amplitude is minimized.