An optical device includes a first substrate with a first surface spreading in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, a second substrate with a second surface facing the first surface, a film bonded to the first surface and/or the second surface through a siloxane bond, and at least one optical guide layer positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate, the optical guide layer including a dielectric member in contact with the film and guiding light in the first direction and/or the second direction.

An optical device includes a first substrate with a first surface spreading in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction, a second substrate with a second surface facing the first surface, a film bonded to the first surface and/or the second surface through a siloxane bond, and at least one optical guide layer positioned between the first substrate and the second substrate, the optical guide layer including a dielectric member in contact with the film and guiding light in the first direction and/or the second direction.

An optical system includes a tunable laser that generates an optical signal at an output that is wavelength tunable. A wavelength router directs particular wavelength bands of the optical signal to particular ones of the plurality of outputs. An optical emitter emits an optical beam at an output, wherein tuning the tunable laser steers the emitted beam.

An optical modulator has an optical modulation element including optical waveguides and a housing that accommodates the optical modulation element. The housing has a bottom surface wall having a quadrilateral shape in a plan view, first and second long side walls that are connected to two opposite edges of the bottom surface wall, and first and second short side walls, shorter than the long side walls, and connected to two other opposite edges of the bottom surface wall. The optical modulation element is accommodated in a space surrounded by the bottom surface wall and the side walls. The second long side wall has a wall thickness that is equal to or larger than that of the first long side wall, and at least one of the first and second short side walls has a wall thickness that is thinner than that of the first long side wall.

A LIDAR system includes a demultiplexer that separates an outgoing LIDAR signal into multiple LIDAR output signals that each carries a different channel and the different channels are each at a different wavelength. The system also includes a beam distributor that receives each of the LIDAR output signals. The beam distributor directs the received LIDAR output signals such that different LIDAR output signals travel away from the beam distributor in different directions.

Optical modulators are described having a Mach-Zehnder interferometer and a pair of RF electrodes interfaced with the Mach-Zehnder interferometer in which the Mach-Zehnder interferometer comprises optical waveguides formed from semiconductor material. The optical modulator also comprises a ground plane spaced away in a distinct plane from transmission line electrodes formed from the association of the pair of RF electrodes interfaced with the Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The ground plane can be associated with a submount in which an optical chip comprising the Mach-Zehnder interferometer and the pair of RF electrodes is mounted on the submount with the two semiconductor optical waveguides are oriented toward the submount. Methods for forming the modulators are described.

An optical phased array (OPA) photonic integrated chip includes a plurality of array elements, a plurality of phase shifters, a plurality of combiners, and an edge coupler configured to couple to a single mode waveguide. The plurality of phase shifters includes a layer of phase shifters that has a phase shifter connected to each array element in the plurality of array elements. The plurality of combiners is configured to connect the plurality of phase shifters to the edge coupler. The plurality of combiners includes a first combiner that has a first output that is connected to a second combiner or the edge coupler, and a second output of the first combiner is connected to a photodetector. An in-phase light portion at the first combiner is output through the first output, and an out-of-phase light portion at the first combiner is output through the second output.

An optical aperture system is provided that includes a photonic integrated circuit. The photonic integrated circuit includes a plurality of apertures, a plurality of optical phase shifters coupled to respective apertures of the plurality of apertures, an optical splitter-combiner coupled to the plurality of optical phase shifters, an optical switch coupled to the optical splitter-combiner, a light source coupled to the optical switch, and a photodetector coupled to the optical switch. The optical aperture system further includes a controller configured to execute a first set of instructions to control the plurality of optical phase shifters and the light source in accordance with a first operating mode of a plurality of operating modes of the optical aperture system, and a processor configured to execute a second set of instructions to process an output of the photodetector in accordance with the first operating mode of the optical aperture system.

A system includes a radiation source and a phased array. The phased array includes optical elements, waveguides and phase modulators. The phased array generates a beam of radiation. The optical elements radiate radiation waves. The waveguides guide radiation from the radiation source to the optical elements. The phase modulators adjust phases of the radiation waves such that the radiation waves accumulate to form the beam. An amount of incoherence of the beam is based on randomization of the phases.

A liquid crystal (LC) beam steerer includes a waveguide apparatus with a waveguide having a high-index core in contact with a variable-index liquid crystal (LC) cladding, wherein a voltage applied to the LC cladding is effective to steer a beam of light passing through the high-index core. Measuring the bulk birefringence and/or the capacitance characteristics of the LC can facilitate beam steering.