Provided is a variable wavelength laser device that achieves phase control of high precision while restraining thermal interference and stably outputs emission light of desired wavelength.

The variable wavelength laser device of the present invention includes: an optical amplification means including a low-reflective surface that reflects light of wavelengths other than a predetermined wavelength and emits light of the predetermined wavelength; a wavelength control means for controlling wavelength of light being transmitted through the optical waveguide; a phase control means for controlling phase of light being transmitted through the optical waveguide using heat emitted by a heating means; a reflection means for totally reflecting the inputted light; and a heat dissipation means for restraining transfer of heat emitted by the heating means to regions other than a region in which the phase control means is disposed.

An optical neural network is constructed based on photonic integrated circuits to perform neuromorphic computing. In the optical neural network, matrix multiplication is implemented using one or more optical interference units, which can apply an arbitrary weighting matrix multiplication to an array of input optical signals. Nonlinear activation is realized by an optical nonlinearity unit, which can be based on nonlinear optical effects, such as saturable absorption. These calculations are implemented optically, thereby resulting in high calculation speeds and low power consumption in the optical neural network.

An electro-optic modulation structure 110, a method for fabrication of the electro-optic modulation structure, and a method of optical modulation derived from an electro-optic modulation structure with low voltage of operation are disclosed. The low voltage operation of the electro-optic modulator is realized by designed electro-optic modulation structures that include the light confining waveguide 114, overclad layer 120 and modulating electrode structure 116 for applying modulation voltages that are directed towards a low voltage operation of the electro-optic modulation 110 device upon consideration of optimal optical loss.

Structures for response shaping in frequency and time domain, include an optical response shaper and/or a modulator device with multiple injection. The device comprises a resonator having an enclosed geometric structure, for example a ring or racetrack structure, at least two injecting optical waveguides approaching the resonator to define at least two coupling regions between the resonator and the injecting waveguides, and may define at least two Free Spectral Range states. One or both of the coupling regions has a coupling coefficient selected for a predetermined frequency or time response, and the coupling coefficient or other device parameters may be variable, in some case in real time to render the response programmably variable.

The disclosed subject matter provides systems and methods for spatial and spectral modulation of light. An example system for modulating light can include a substrate and a plurality of meta units, coupled to the substrate and configured to spatially and spectrally modulate the light, wherein the plurality of meta units includes a perturbation and forms a perturbed lattice supporting a quasi-bound state in the continuum.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide devices and methods involving the thermal stabilization of microring resonators, such as microring modulators. Power is measured via an on-chip photodetector integrated with a drop port of the microring resonator, providing a local measurement of average power. This average power is employed as a feedback measure to actively control a heater that is integrated with the microring resonator, in order to stabilize the resonant wavelength of the microring resonator in the presence of thermal fluctuations. Employing such a system, a microring modulator can maintain error-free performance under thermal fluctuations that would normally render it inoperable.

Optical devices and their fabrication from thin film lithium niobate are provided. In some embodiments, an optical device includes a substrate and an optical waveguide disposed on the substrate. The optical waveguide comprises lithium niobate. The optical waveguide has a central ridge extending laterally along the substrate. A pair of electrodes is disposed on opposite sides of the central ridge of the optical waveguide.

Optical modulators, one or more components of various optical modulators, and methods of forming optical modulators and/or one or more components are disclosed. A substrate may be provided and a precursor material may be applied to the substrate with a micro-contact printing stamp. The precursor material may be cured on the substrate and the waveguide may be formed into a micro-ring resonator. The micro-contact printing stamp may be configured to create a waveguide on the substrate.

An optical processing system providing a rapid optical response, the system including: a first optical material sensitive to an effective refractive index change under photon absorption; a first optical pump for optically pumping the first optical material at a first frequency so as to cause the first optical material to undergo an effective refractive index change by means of photon absorption; a second optical pump for optically pumping the first optical material at a second frequency so as to cause the first optical material to undergo a rapid second refractive index change by means of stimulated emission.

The present disclosure is directed toward photonic elements comprising rib-waveguide-based ring resonators having high coupling efficiency between their bus and ring waveguides within the coupling region of the ring resonator, as well as operability over a wide spectral range. Embodiments disclosed herein employ a small-diameter ring waveguide and a bus waveguide that collectively define an asymmetrical coupler having a coupling region at which the optical confinement of the bus waveguide is stronger on side of the bus waveguide distal to the ring waveguide than on the side of the bus waveguide that is proximal to the ring waveguide. In some embodiments, in the coupling region, the bus waveguide has ridge and an inner bus-slab portion that is shared with the ring waveguide, while the outer bus-slab portion is at least partially removed to give rise to stronger optical confinement at the outer edge of the ridge of the bus waveguide.