The present invention relates to an apparatus for optical applications, a spectrometer system and method for producing an apparatus for optical applications, and in particular to an apparatus comprising an optical waveguide having a first refractive index along a light propagation axis interrupted by a plurality of scattering portions having a second refractive index. Each scattering portion has a long axis substantially perpendicular to the light propagation axis as well as a short axis substantially perpendicular to the light propagation axis and the long axis. A receiver unit or a transmitter unit is arranged on a side of the optical waveguide, the long axis being substantially perpendicular, i.e. normal to the plane of this side on which the receiver unit or transmitter unit is arranged. Accordingly, simplification and miniaturization of an optical apparatus can be realized.

Building blocks are provided for on-chip chemical sensors and other highly-compact photonic integrated circuits combining interband or quantum cascade lasers and detectors with passive waveguides and other components integrated on a III-V or silicon. A MWIR or LWIR laser source is evanescently coupled into a passive extended or resonant-cavity waveguide that provides evanescent coupling to a sample gas (or liquid) for spectroscopic chemical sensing. In the case of an ICL, the uppermost layer of this passive waveguide has a relatively high index of refraction that enables it to form the core of the waveguide, while the ambient air, consisting of the sample gas, functions as the top cladding layer. A fraction of the propagating light beam is absorbed by the sample gas if it contains a chemical species having a fingerprint absorption feature within the spectral linewidth of the laser emission.

A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) spectrometer for sensing the spectroscopic signature of airborne molecules, comprising a dispersive element to separate the spectral information spatially, and a tuning mechanism for said dispersive element to convert the spectral information to time-dependent information. The approach allows the PIC spectrometer to have a single (or a few) output pin(s), enabling sensing of the environment with a simple packaged chip that is compact, lightweight, energy efficient and low cost, making it suitable for platforms that have a small form factor, a small power budget, and are cost sensitive, such as mobile devices.

An occupancy sensor covering a wide field in an integrated chip is disclosed. The occupancy sensor includes an array of grating coupled waveguide sensors wherein continuous wave (cw) signals monitor an ambient light field for dynamic changes on times scales of seconds, and high frequency signals map in three-dimensions of the space using time-of-flight (TOF) measurements, pixel level electronics that perform signal processing; array level electronics that perform additional signal processing; and communications and site level electronics that interface with actuators to respond to occupancy sensing.

A light filter and a spectrometer including the light filter are disclosed. The light filter includes a plurality of filter units having different resonance wavelengths, wherein each of the plurality of filter units includes a cavity layer configured to output light of constructive interference, a Bragg reflection layer provided on a first surface of the cavity layer, and a pattern reflection layer provided on a second surface of the cavity layer opposite to the first surface and configured to cause guided mode resonance of light incident on the pattern reflection layer, the pattern reflection layer including a plurality of reflection structures that are periodically arranged.

A 2-D sensor array includes a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of pixels disposed on the semiconductor substrate. Each pixel includes a coupling region and a junction region, and a slab waveguide structure disposed on the semiconductor substrate and extending from the coupling region to the region. The slab waveguide includes a confinement layer disposed between a first cladding layer and a second cladding layer. The first cladding and the second cladding each have a refractive index that is lower than a refractive index of the confinement layer. Each pixel also includes a coupling structure disposed in the coupling region and within the slab waveguide. The coupling structure includes two materials having different indices of refraction arranged as a grating defined by a grating period. The junction region comprises a p-n junction in communication with electrical contacts for biasing and collection of carriers resulting from absorption of incident radiation.

A measurement system is provided with an array of laser diodes with one or more Bragg reflectors. At least a portion of the light generated by the array is configured to penetrate tissue comprising skin. A detection system configured to: measure a phase shift, and a time-of-flight, of at least a portion of the light from the array of laser diodes reflected from the tissue relative to the portion of the light generated by the array; generate one or more images of the tissue; detect oxy- or deoxy-hemoglobin in the tissue; non-invasively measure blood in blood vessels within or below a dermis layer within the skin; measure one or more physiological parameters based at least in part on the non-invasively measured blood; and measure a variation in the blood or physiological parameter over a period of time.

A monitoring system includes an array of optical sensors disposed within a transformer tank. Each optical sensor is configured to have an optical output that changes in response to a temperature within the transformer tank. An analyzer is coupled to the array of optical sensors. The analyzer is configured to determine a sensed temperature distribution based on the sensed temperature. The sensed temperature distribution is compared to an expected distribution. Exterior contamination of the transformer tank is detected based on the comparison.

An integrated wavelength-selective filter device comprises a first optical element, for directing received radiation into a direction defined by a first angle, and a second optical element being a diffractive element configured for diffracting the directed radiation under a second angle. The second angle is such that for a single reference wavelength the diffracted radiation is directed into a propagation medium for advancing therein towards a predetermined position on the first optical element or on a further optical element for filtering radiation having a wavelength substantially matching the reference wavelength from radiation having a substantially different wavelength. The propagation medium is formed from a material that is different from any material of the substrate of the first and the second optical element.

An optical array waveguide grating-type multiplexer and demultiplexer according to an embodiment of the present invention comprise: a first substrate, a plurality of first waveguides disposed on the first substrate to be superposed in the vertical direction, which is the thickness direction of the first substrate; a 1-1st cladding layer disposed between the first substrate and a 1-1st waveguide, which is nearest to the first substrate among the plurality of first waveguides; a 1-2nd cladding layer disposed between the plurality of first waveguides; and a 1-3rd cladding layer disposed on a 1-2nd waveguide, which is furthest from the first substrate among the plurality of first waveguides.