A reflective spatial light modulator (SLM) made of an electro-optic material in a one-sided Fabry-Perot resonator can provide phase and/or amplitude modulation with fine spatial resolution at speeds over a Gigahertz. The light is confined laterally within the electro-optic material/resonator layer stack with microlenses, index perturbations, or by patterning the layer stack into a two-dimensional (2D) array of vertically oriented micropillars. Alternatively, a photonic crystal guided mode resonator can vertically and laterally confine the resonant mode. In phase-only modulation mode, each SLM pixel can produce a π phase shift under a bias voltage below 10 V, while maintaining nearly constant reflection amplitude. This high-speed SLM can be used in a wide range of new applications, from fully tunable metasurfaces to optical computing accelerators, high-speed interconnects, true 2D phased array beam steering, beam forming, or quantum computing with cold atom arrays.

A reflective spatial light modulator (SLM) made of an electro-optic material in a one-sided Fabry-Perot resonator can provide phase and/or amplitude modulation with fine spatial resolution at speeds over a Gigahertz. The light is confined laterally within the electro-optic material/resonator layer stack with microlenses, index perturbations, or by patterning the layer stack into a two-dimensional (2D) array of vertically oriented micropillars. Alternatively, a photonic crystal guided mode resonator can vertically and laterally confine the resonant mode. In phase-only modulation mode, each SLM pixel can produce a π phase shift under a bias voltage below 10 V, while maintaining nearly constant reflection amplitude. This high-speed SLM can be used in a wide range of new applications, from fully tunable metasurfaces to optical computing accelerators, high-speed interconnects, true 2D phased array beam steering, beam forming, or quantum computing with cold atom arrays.

An approach for realizing low-power, high-port-count optical switching systems, such as OXCs, WXCs, and ROADMs is presented. Optical switching systems in accordance with the present disclosure include arrangements of frequency-filter blocks, each of which includes a cascaded arrangement of tunable couplers and tunable Mach-Zehnder Interferometers (MZIs) that provides a substantially flat-top broadband transfer function for the frequency-filter block. The tunability for these devices is achieved by operatively coupling a low-power-dissipation phase controller, such as a stress-optic phase controller or liquid-crystal-based phase controller with one arm of the device, thereby enabling control over the coupling coefficient of the device.

An optical modulator includes, a semiconductor substrate, an optical waveguide portion disposed on the semiconductor substrate, a first P-N junction disposed on the semiconductor substrate, and a second P-N disposed on the semiconductor substrate. The optical waveguide portion provides an optical path for light that is to be modulated. The first P-N junction is disposed on the semiconductor substrate along the optical path and defines a border between an N-doped portion disposed on the semiconductor substrate and a P-doped portion disposed on the semiconductor substrate. The second P-N junction is disposed on a portion of the semiconductor substrate alongside the optical path and spaced apart from the first P-N junction.

A manufacturing method for a photonic device includes dividing a target photonic network, which is a photonic network configured for the photonic semiconductor device, into a plurality of sub-photonic networks, forming the plurality of sub-photonic networks on a plurality of photonic chips, and connecting the plurality of sub-photonic networks on the plurality of photonic chips through a coupler to obtain the photonic semiconductor device carrying the target photonic network, wherein the coupler is configured to couple light from one photonic chip to another photonic chip. Compared with the scale of the photonic network of the existing photonic semiconductor device, which is limited due to the footprint limitation of a single chip, the scale of the photonic network of the photonic semiconductor device is increased several times.

Disclosed are a terahertz signal generation apparatus and a terahertz signal generation method using the same. The terahertz signal generation apparatus includes first and second resonators configured to respectively output an optical signal of a first resonant frequency and an optical signal of a second resonant frequency from an optical signal input through a gain medium, an optical modulator configured to optically modulate the output optical signal of the second resonant frequency, an optical combiner configured to combine the CW optical signal of the first resonant frequency and the modulated optical signal of the second resonant frequency, and a signal generator configured to generate a terahertz signal using heterodyne beating between the CW optical signal of the first resonant frequency and the modulated optical signal of the second resonant frequency, wherein the first resonant frequency and the second resonant frequency are processed to have a predetermined frequency difference.

An electro-optic Mach-Zehnder modulator comprising a first and a second optical waveguide, and a plurality of pairs of electro-optic phase shifters forming segments, for each pair one phase shifter per optical waveguide, distributed over the length of the optical waveguides, wherein the electro-optic phase shifters are configured for phase-modulating the optical signals. The modulator, moreover, comprising at least one crossing element configured for crossing the optical waveguides between two segments.

Various embodiments of a coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission line as well as a silicon-based electro-optic (E-O) modulator comprising the CPW transmission line are described. The CPW transmission line has a curved or winding shape. The silicon-based E-O modulator includes a rib optical waveguide, a beam splitter, a beam combiner, and a CPW transmission line that exhibits the winding shape. At least one of the two optical arms of the rib optical waveguide alternately and periodically extends through a first groove and a second groove of the CPW transmission line. The plurality of active sections of the rib optical waveguide are evenly distributed on both sides of the CPW transmission line to suppress undesired transmission modes. An increased length of transmission path of the rib optical waveguide is also avoided or minimized, thereby reducing the transmission speed mismatch of the E-O modulator, which is essential for achieving high-speed operation.

A first transmission line comprises a first pair of electrodes receiving an electrical drive comprising first and second drive signals, which are loaded by a first series of p-n junctions applying optical phase modulation to respective optical waves propagating over a first section of the first and second optical waveguide arms of an MZI. A second transmission line comprises a second pair of electrodes configured to receive the electrical drive after an electrical signal delay. The second pair of electrodes are loaded by a second series of p-n junctions applying optical phase modulation to the respective optical waves propagating over a second section of the first and second optical waveguide arms after propagation over the first section. An electrode extension structure provides the electrical drive to the second pair of electrodes, and comprises an unloaded transmission line portion imposing the electrical signal delay based on an optical signal delay.

An optical transmitter includes a Mach-Zehnder modulator having an arm waveguide and a phase controller configured to control a phase of a light propagating through the arm waveguide by applying a voltage to the Mach-Zehnder modulator. When the voltage is deviated from a predetermined range, the phase controller shifts the voltage in the direction opposite to a direction of the deviation from the predetermined range by the amount corresponding to a change of 2π in the phase.