A laser beam phase-modulation device, a laser beam steering device, and a laser beam steering system including the same are provided. The laser beam phase-modulation device includes a refractive index conversion layer having a refractive index that is changed according to an electrical signal applied thereto, the refractive index conversion layer including an upper surface on which the laser beam is incident and a lower surface opposite the upper surface, at least one antenna pattern embedded in the upper surface of the refractive index conversion layer, and a metal mirror layer provided under the lower surface of the refractive index conversion layer and configured to reflect the laser beam.

Provided is a detecting apparatus including a light source emitting an illumination light flux, a light receiving element receiving a reflected light flux from an object, a deflection unit deflecting illumination light flux toward the object to scan the object and deflecting reflected light flux toward light receiving element, a splitting unit allowing illumination light flux from light source to proceed toward deflection unit and allowing reflected light flux from deflection unit to proceed toward light receiving element, and a first telescope increasing a diameter of illumination light flux deflected by deflection unit, and decreasing a diameter of reflected light flux from the object in which the deflection unit is arranged so that a light path of a principal ray of illumination light flux at a center angle of view in a scanning range of deflection unit is prevented from coinciding with an optical axis of first telescope.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward techniques and configurations for optical couplers comprising a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide coupled to form a 2×2 optical unitary matrix to receive a respective first input optical signal and a second input optical signal. In embodiments the first optical waveguide and second optical waveguide form arms that converge alongside each other to direct the first input optical signal and the second input optical signal along a path that integrates a plurality of tunable phase shifters to transform the first input optical signal or the second input optical signal into a first output optical signal and second output optical signal to be output from the 2×2 optical unitary matrix. Additional embodiments may be described and claimed.

An optical logic gate decision-making circuit that combines non-linear materials, such as silicon nitride, on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate is described. Circuitry includes a ring cavity coupled to an input optical bus waveguide. The input optical bus waveguide receives an optical signal and passes the optical signal to the ring cavity. An electro-optical device, for instance a PN junction, is integrated within the ring cavity to modulate the optical signal such that an optical logic gate function is enabled. An output optical bus waveguide is also coupled to the ring cavity, which outputs the optical signal modified based on the optical logic gate function and based on a wavelength routing function. By using silicon nitride, the optical non-linearity of the materials enables an “all-optical” logic gate. Thus, the optical logic gate decision-making circuit is suitable for all-optical circuits, and support ultrafast optical signal processing and enabling packet switching of data.

A stellate beam splitter includes a light cavity for receiving a light source and a plurality of radial arms oriented around the light cavity, the plurality of radial arms oriented to concentrate light entering each of the plurality of radial arms at an end proximate to the light cavity and provide concentrated light at an end distal to the light cavity.

An example optical fiber signal mode conversion apparatus includes a non-single-mode optical fiber and a single-mode optical fiber. The single-mode optical fiber forms, with the non-single-mode optical fiber, a first coupling region and a second coupling region along a signal transmission direction in the non-single-mode optical fiber, where an effective refractive index of a fundamental mode signal of the single-mode optical fiber in the first coupling region is equal to an effective refractive index of a signal in a first mode, the signal in the first mode is coupled to a fundamental mode channel of the single-mode optical fiber, and an effective refractive index of the fundamental mode signal of the single-mode optical fiber in the second coupling region is equal to an effective refractive index of a signal in a second mode.

An example optical fiber signal mode conversion apparatus includes a non-single-mode optical fiber and a single-mode optical fiber. The single-mode optical fiber forms, with the non-single-mode optical fiber, a first coupling region and a second coupling region along a signal transmission direction in the non-single-mode optical fiber, where an effective refractive index of a fundamental mode signal of the single-mode optical fiber in the first coupling region is equal to an effective refractive index of a signal in a first mode, the signal in the first mode is coupled to a fundamental mode channel of the single-mode optical fiber, and an effective refractive index of the fundamental mode signal of the single-mode optical fiber in the second coupling region is equal to an effective refractive index of a signal in a second mode.

An optical waveguide combiner includes an optical waveguide substrate and an optical input region. The optical input region includes an optical input diffractive grating integrated in, or disposed on, the optical waveguide substrate. An optical output region includes an optical output diffractive grating integrated in, or disposed on, the optical waveguide substrate, At least one non-diffractive region includes at least one optical non-diffractive array of nanostructures, wherein said at least one optical non-diffractive array of nanostructures is integrated in, or disposed on, the object side of said optical waveguide substrate and at least partially surrounds at least said optical output grating; wherein the external visible reflectance of said at least one non-diffractive array of nanostructures is substantially equal to the external visible reflectance of said optical output grating.

A silicon on insulator (SOI) photonic device having a waveguide is provided that includes a mode overlap portion with a topology optimized structure situated below an electrode of the capacitance structure. The device can significantly change a refractive index in a volume of mode overlap depending upon the applied potential to the capacitor and allows for a π phase shift in a modest mode overlap volume. The topology optimized structure has a waveguide and substrate that are partitioned in three dimensions using an extruded projection design. The electrode is a transition metal di-chalcogenide monolayer sheet (2D TMD). The enhanced mode overlay from the topology optimized waveguide portion allows a large reduction in the length of the waveguide with the mode overlap to achieve the needed phase shift for a photonic device.

An optically controlled switch includes a substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) including: a first port and a second port, the first port and the second port being located at ends of the SIW to input and output an electromagnetic wave; and a shorting via electrically connected to a bottom layer of the SIW and separated from a top layer of the SIW by a dielectric gap. The optically controlled switch includes: a photoconductive element located on the top layer of the SIW and electrically connected to the shorting via and the top layer of the SIW, the photoconductive element being configured to have a dielectric state and a conductor state depending on a state of a controlling light flux; and a cutoff waveguide formed around the dielectric gap and the photoconductive element, and configured to provide control of the photoconductive element from a light source and block parasitic radiation.