A system for high sensitivity, high time resolution detection of an arbitrary spontaneous emission is disclosed. The system may use a local oscillator (LO) for generating an LO input optical signal, and an linear optical mixer for receiving and mixing the input optical signal and an arbitrary spontaneous emission. The 2D detector generates a first component output and a second component. A subsystem receives the component outputs and produces first and second dispersed spectrum output signals. At least a first ultra-high speed camera is used for imaging one of the first or second dispersed spectrum output signals.

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.

An optoelectronic module includes a light guide arranged to receive light, such as ambient light or light reflected by an object. The light guide has a diffractive grating that includes multiple sections, each of which is tuned to a respective wavelength or narrow band of wavelengths. The module further includes multiple photosensitive elements, each of which is arranged to receive light diffracted by a respective one of the sections of the diffractive grating. The module can be integrated, for example, as part of a spectrometer or other apparatus for optically determining characteristics of an object.

A spectrometer includes a one or more Arrayed Waveguide Gratings (AWGs), which have output waveguides which are non-uniformly spaced at the output slab and/or with different passband widths. AWGs can be cascaded, each receiving a different portion of the spectrum passing through an upstream AWG, for further processing and/or detection.

An on-chip optical filter having Fabri-Perot resonators and a spectrometer may include a first sub-wavelength grating (SWG) reflecting layer and a second SWG reflecting layer facing each other. A plurality of Fabri-Perot resonators are formed by the first SWG reflecting layer and the second SWG reflecting layer facing each other. Each of the Fabri-Perot resonators may transmit light corresponding to a resonance wavelength of the Fabri-Perot resonator. The resonance wavelengths of the Fabri-Perot resonators may be determined according to duty cycles of grating patterns.

The present application discloses a system comprising a compact curved grating (CCG) and its associated compact curved grating spectrometer (COGS) or compact curved grating wavelength multiplexer/demultiplexer (WMDM) module and a method for making the same. The system is capable of achieving a very small (resolution vs. size) RS factor. The location of the entrance slit and detector can be adjusted in order to have the best performance for a particular design goal. The initial groove spacing is calculated using a prescribed formula dependent on operation wavelength. The location of the grooves is calculated based on two conditions. The first one being that the path-difference between adjacent grooves should be an integral multiple of the wavelength in the medium to achieve aberration-free grating focusing at the detector or a first anchor output slit even with large beam diffraction angle from the entrance slit or input slit, the second one being specific for a particular design goal of a curved-grating spectrometer.

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.

An integrated imaging spectrometer for hyperspectral imaging (HSI) system is disclosed. The integrated imaging spectrometer features photonic PLCs that include an array of input channel waveguides, one for each pixel of an image scene. Spectral grating filters are positioned along the length of each waveguide to extract the spectral components as the light propagates to the end of the waveguide. The filters route the optical energy to photodetectors and the detected electrical signals are captured by a read out integrated circuit (ROIC). Together the PLC, detectors, and ROIC form an imaging layer. Stacking imaging layers generates a device capable of recording an entire 3D high-resolution spatial/spectral image data cube in real-time.

The present disclosure relates to systems, methods, and sensors configured to characterize a radiation beam. At least one embodiment relates to an optical system. The optical system includes an optical radiation guiding system. The optical radiation guiding system includes a collimator configured to collimate the radiation beam into a collimated radiation beam. The optical radiation guiding system also includes a beam shaper configured to distribute power of the collimated radiation beam over a discrete number of line shaped fields. A spectrum of the collimated radiation beam entering the beam shaper is delivered to each of the discrete number of line shaped fields. The optical system further includes a spectrometer chip. The spectrometer chip is configured to process the spectrum of the collimated radiation beam in each of the discrete number of line shaped fields coming from the beam shaper.

A fiber optic switching network includes a comb laser source that provides laser light at a plurality of wavelengths on a single optical fiber. Light from the comb laser source is directed into different optical fibers by a demultiplexer such as an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) or cyclic AWG. Light from the demultiplexer is modulated with one or more demodulators and re-combined with a multiplexer into a single optical fiber for transmission to a destination.