An active metasurface includes a number of periodically-repeated unit cells arranged on a substrate that each include a plasmonic waveguide shaped and sized to provide a cutoff mode that captures light of a target wavelength. The active metasurface includes an index modulation controller that controllably varies a voltage differential across each one of the periodically-repeated cells to change a phase of light incident on the metasurface.

Embodiments of a thermally modulated photonic switch are presented herein. One embodiment comprises a topology-optimized structure that includes dispersed silicon and silicon dioxide. This topology-optimized structure includes an input waveguide, a first output waveguide, and a second output waveguide. The topology-optimized structure routes a light beam from the input waveguide to the first output waveguide, when the topology-optimized structure is at a first predetermined temperature that causes a refractive index of the silicon in the topology-optimized structure to assume a first predetermined value, and the topology-optimized structure routes a light beam from the input waveguide to the second output waveguide, when the topology-optimized structure is at a second predetermined temperature that causes the refractive index of the silicon in the topology-optimized structure to assume a second predetermined value that is distinct from the first predetermined value.

Disclosed is a plasmonic device (10), comprising: a substrate (11); and a dielectric layer (13) arranged between a base metal layer (12) and a structured metal layer (14) which form with respect to the substrate (11) a vertical stack of layers, wherein the structured metal layer (14) includes arranged in a horizontal direction an input structure (141) for enabling an input section (21), a waveguide structure (142) for enabling a plasmonic waveguide (22), and an output structure (143) for enabling an output section (23), wherein the input section (21) is configured to receive an optical input signal (31) and transmit input power (41) to the plasmonic waveguide (22), wherein the plasmonic waveguide (22) is configured to receive input power (41) from the input section (21) and transmit output power (43) to the output section (23), and wherein the output section (23) is configured to receive output power (43) from the plasmonic waveguide (22) and transmit an optical output signal (33).

Optical switch trees are commonly used to route light from one input channel to multiple possible output channels one at a time. As the number of output channels increases, the number of wire-bonding pads increases and the drive electronics becomes more complicated. The optical switch tree comprises an array of optical switches arranged in a plurality of rows of optical switches, each connected by a row bus, which are connected to a first multiplexer and a common power source; and a plurality of columns of optical switches, each connected by a column bus, which are connected to a second multiplexer and a common ground. A control processor selects one of the plurality of columns of optical switches to connect to the common ground, and selects one of the plurality of rows of optical switches to connect to the common power source, thereby selecting a single optical switch in the array of optical switches to activate.

The disclosure addresses the problem of increased optical insertion losses in integrated optical switches. It enables the implementation of an array of optical amplifiers, typically with low/moderate gain, to compensate for optical insertion losses in the integrated switches. The amplifier is based on a doped optical fiber which is optically pumped by a pump laser. The integrated optical switch includes a transposer that facilitates connectivity between a set of fibers and a photonic chip through an optical mode conversion. An all passive circuitry is built in a doped fiber amplifier, WDM couplers combine/separate the signals from the pump, and splitters allow sharing of a single pump by multiple amplifiers. In addition, switch pigtails are implemented with the doped fiber.

An integrated tunable waveguide element includes: a cladding. A high k dielectric layer is disposed within the cladding. At least one waveguide is disposed adjacent to the high k dielectric layer. At least one two dimensional monolayer pad is disposed on or in the high k dielectric layer adjacent to a portion of the at least one waveguide. An integrated 2×2 array element is also described.

Examples described herein relate to an optical coupler. The optical coupler may include a first optical waveguide base layer, a second optical waveguide base layer, an insulating layer disposed over at least a portion of both the first optical waveguide base layer and the second optical waveguide base layer, and a semiconductor material layer disposed over the insulating layer. Overlapping portions of the first optical waveguide base layer, the insulating layer, and the semiconductor material layer form a first optical waveguide, and overlapping portions of the second optical waveguide base layer, the insulating layer, and the semiconductor material layer form a second optical waveguide. Moreover, the optical coupler may include a plurality of metal contacts to receive one or more first biasing voltages to operate one of the first optical waveguide base layer and the second optical waveguide base layer in an accumulation mode.

An eye tracker having a first waveguide for propagating illumination light along a first waveguide path and propagating image light reflected from at least one surface of an eye along a second waveguide path. At least one grating lamina for deflecting the illumination light out of the first waveguide path towards the eye and deflecting the image light into the second waveguide path towards a detector is disposed adjacent an optical surface of the waveguide.

An optical communications system includes a laser transmitter to generate an optical signal and a first optical fiber network coupled to transmit the optical signal from the laser transmitter system. A first latchable, asymmetric coupler is disposed along the first optical fiber network to receive the optical signal, and has a first tap output that receives a selected and alterable first fraction of the optical signal. A second latchable, asymmetric coupler is disposed along the first optical fiber network to receive the optical signal from the first latchable asymmetric coupler and has a second tap output that receives a selected and alterable second fraction of the optical signal incident at the second latchable. In certain embodiments the first and second couplers are capable of operating at any of at least three tapping fractions.

A device may include a high-side electrode layer comprising a plurality of discrete electrodes. A device may include a low-side electrode layer. A device may include an electro-optic (EO) layer comprising a solid EO active material at least partially interposed between the high-side electrode layer and the low-side electrode layer, thereby forming a plurality of active cells of the EO layer. A device may include a controller, comprising: a steering request circuit structured to interpret a steering request value, a steering configuration circuit structured to determine a plurality of EO command values in response to the steering request value; and a steering implementation circuit structured to provide a plurality of voltage commands in response to the plurality of EO command values.