An optical device includes an optical waveguide, a buffer layer that is layered on the optical waveguide, and an opening that is formed at least in the buffer layer above a part near a side surface of the optical waveguide. The optical device further includes an electrode that is layered in the opening and that is configured to apply a signal to the optical waveguide and a silicon layer that is layered on the buffer layer excluding the opening.

An optical device includes an optical waveguide, a buffer layer that is layered on the optical waveguide, and an electrode that is arranged on a surface of the buffer layer that is layered in a part near the optical waveguide and that applies an electric signal to the optical waveguide. The optical device further includes a slit that is formed in the buffer layer, that extends from the surface of the buffer layer to a vicinity of the optical waveguide, and that is filled with part of the electrode.

Methods, systems, and devices for free-space optical communications. An aircraft includes a flat optical communication terminal on an external surface of the aircraft, the flat optical communication terminal being configured to communicate with a ground station via a free-space optical communication link.

An optical device including a waveguide and an electrode is described. The waveguide includes at least one optical material having an electro-optic effect. The electrode includes a channel region and extensions protruding from the channel region. The extensions are closer to a portion of the waveguide than the channel region is.

To prevent deterioration in an extinction ratio due to asymmetry between a pair of optical waveguides.

An optical modulator has a Mach-Zehnder optical waveguide including mutually parallel first and second waveguides and a signal electrode for controlling the phase of light propagating in the Mach-Zehnder optical waveguide. The first and second waveguides have a first section in which the second waveguide has a line width smaller than that of the first waveguide and a second section in which the first waveguide has a line width smaller than that of the second waveguide. The first section and the second section are replaced with each other in curved parts.

A method and apparatus for efficiently modulating light includes forming a lithium niobate waveguide with a slab region and a ridge region to confine an optical mode traversing the optical modulator under the ridge region. An electro-optic polymer is formed on a top surface of the lithium niobate waveguide with the slab region and the ridge region having dimension sufficient to support an evanescent tail of the optical mode traversing the optical modulator under the ridge region during modulation. Light is applied to an input of the lithium niobate waveguide. A drive voltage is applied to the electro-optic polymer that modulates the light with the evanescent tail so that the mode expands into the electro-optic polymer material a length that provides a desired switching voltage-length product (V.sub.π*L).

An entanglement-enhanced interferometry system includes a source of correlated photons configured to two-mode squeezed vacuum (TMSV), a polarizing splitter or off-axis polarizing coupler configured to separate the correlated photons into two paths, a polarization control device configured to rotate polarization of photons on one of the two paths relative to the photons on the other of the two paths in order to make photons indistinguishable, a coupler configured to entangle the indistinguishable photons, and a polarization maintaining fiber-based interferometer configured to use the entangled photons as the input state. The source of correlated photons might be a nonlinear element such as a periodically poled element such as a lithium niobate bulk crystal or waveguide. The interferometer might be a Mach-Zehnder or a common path configuration. The coupler might be a 50:50 coupler or a polarizing coupler 45 degrees off-axis.

A composite film (100, 200) and a preparation method therefor. The composite film (100, 200) may comprise: a substrate (110, 210); a first isolation layer (130), which is located on the top surface of the substrate (110, 210); and an optical film structure (A, B), which is located on the first isolation layer (130) and comprises a stacked structure formed from a light modulation layer (150), a light transmission layer (170) and an active layer (190) that generates light. The active layer (190) may be in contact with one of the light modulation layer (150) and the light transmission layer (170).

To provide an optical modulation element whereby reduced drive voltage and suppression of DC drift can be obtained at the same time. An optical modulation element includes: a substrate; and an optical waveguide formed of an electrooptic material film formed on the substrate and having a ridge part which is a protruding portion, and a slab part having a smaller film thickness than the ridge part 11r. The optical waveguide includes a first waveguide part having a first ridge width and a first slab film thickness and to which an RF signal is applied, and a second waveguide part having a second ridge width and a second slab film thickness different from the first slab film thickness and to which a DC bias is applied.

The invention relates to an optical modulator. The optical modulator comprising: a substrate; an electro-optical material layer formed on a predetermined region of the substrate; a buffer layer formed on the substrate which is provided so as to cover the electro-optical material layer; and an electrode formed on the buffer layer, and the electro-optical material layer has a RF portion optical waveguide which is applied with a modulation signal and is patterned, and a DC portion optical waveguide which is applied with a DC voltage and is patterned, the electrode has an RF portion electrode formed on the buffer layer where the RF portion optical waveguide is located and a DC portion electrode formed on the buffer layer where the DC portion optical waveguide is located, the film thickness of the DC portion electrode is smaller than the film thickness of the RF portion electrode. According to the present invention, an optical modulator which can suppress electrical crosstalk caused by the noise signal generated in the DC portion electrode and can improve high-frequency characteristics and achieve a widening of bandwidth of the optical frequency band in the high-frequency signals propagating in the RF portion electrode is provided.