An optical sensing system comprising an optical fiber, a light source, a first interrogator and a second interrogator. The optical fiber includes one or more optical sensors. The light source is placed at a first end of the optical fiber and is configured to direct light towards the one or more optical sensors. The first interrogator is placed at the first end of the optical fiber. The second interrogator placed at a second, opposite end of the optical fiber. The first interrogator is configured to receive reflected light from the one or more optical sensors, and the second interrogator is configured to receive transmitted light from the one or more optical sensors.

Examples described herein relate to an optical device with an integrated light-emitting structure to generate light and a waveguide integrated capacitor to monitor light. The light-emitting structure may emit light upon the application of electricity to the optical device. The waveguide integrated capacitor may be formed under the light-emitting structure to monitor the light emitted by the light-emitting structure. The waveguide integrated capacitor includes a waveguide region carrying at least a portion of the light. The waveguide region includes one or more photon absorption sites causing the generation of free charge carriers relative to an intensity of the light confined in the waveguide region resulting in a change in the conductance of the waveguide region.

A photonic integrated circuit including an InP-based substrate that is provided with a first InP-based optical waveguide and a neighboring second InP-based optical waveguide, a dielectric planarization layer that is arranged at least between the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide. At least between the first optical waveguide and the neighboring second optical waveguide, the dielectric planarization layer is provided with a recess that is arranged to reduce or prevent optical interaction between the first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide via the dielectric planarization layer. At the location of the recess, the dielectric planarization layer has a first sidewall that is arranged sloped towards the first optical waveguide, and a second sidewall that is arranged sloped towards the second optical waveguide. An opto-electronic system including said PIC.

The invention relates to an optical fiber mounted photonic integrated circuit device, wherein the tolerance for positioning in terms of the coupling between the single mode optical fibers and the optical waveguides provided on the photonic integrated circuit device is increased. An optical waveguide core group is provided in such a manner where a plurality of optical waveguide cores having a portion that is tapered in the direction of the width within a plane are aligned parallel to each other at intervals that allow for mutual directional coupling and that are narrower than the width of the core of the single mode optical fiber, and the inclined connection end surface of the single mode optical fiber and the upper surface of an end portion of the optical waveguide cores face each other for coupling.

Hybrid optical integration places very strict manufacturing tolerances and performance requirements upon the multiple elements to exploit passive alignment techniques as well as having additional processing requirements. Alternatively, active alignment and soldering/fixing where feasible is also complex and time consuming with 3, 4, or 6-axis control of each element. However, microelectromechanical (MEMS) systems can sense, control, and activate mechanical processes on the micro scale. Beneficially, therefore the inventors combine silicon MEMS based micro-actuators with silicon CMOS control and drive circuits in order to provide alignment of elements within a silicon optical circuit either with respect to each other or with other optical elements hybridly integrated such as compound semiconductor elements. Such inventive MEMS based circuits may be either maintained as active during deployment or powered off once the alignment has been locked through an attachment/retention/latching process.

In part, the disclosure relates to an optical coupler. The optical coupler may include two ridge waveguides that include a first waveguide and a second waveguide. One or more segments of the two waveguides extend over a coupling length or other distance. One or more sections of each ridge waveguide is at least partially defined by a set of cross-sectional profiles, a plurality of sections of each ridge waveguide have a width that tapers along a length of the two ridge waveguides. Within the coupling length, a subset of the set of cross-sectional profiles may define a first pair of transition regions and a second pair of transition regions. The coupler may include a coupling region between the two ridge waveguides and spanning at least a section of the coupling length.

An exemplary micro-optical component includes a micro-substrate and a micro-optical element disposed on the micro-substrate. The micro-optical element is structured to modify or process light. At least a portion of a component tether is physically attached to the micro-substrate or physically attached to the micro-optical element. The micro-optical component has a thickness less than 250 ?m. Light can be processed by reflection, refraction, diffraction, frequency changes, polarization changes, color-temperature or frequency distribution changes, or phase changes. The micro-optical component can be disposed on a system substrate to form a micro-optical system. The system substrate can include a cavity and the micro-optical element can be disposed at least partially in the cavity. Micro-optical components can be passive optical micro-devices. A light-active element can be disposed on the micro-substrate to receive light from or emit light to the micro-optical element.

Systems and methods are provided for processing an optical signal. An example system may include a source disposed on a substrate and capable of emitting the optical signal. A first waveguide is formed in the substrate to receive the optical signal. A first coupler is disposed on the substrate to receive a reflected portion of the optical signal. A second waveguide is formed in the substrate to receive the reflected portion from the first coupler. A second coupler is formed in the substrate to mix the optical signal and the reflected portion to form a mixed signal. Photodetectors are formed in the substrate to convert the mixed signal to an electrical signal. A processor is electrically coupled to the substrate and programmed to convert the electrical signal from a time domain to a frequency domain to determine a phase difference between the optical signal and the reflected portion.

A method of manufacturing a device comprises the following steps: a) providing a structure that comprises a layer on a final substrate, the layer comprising a first guide and a second guide, and a grating coupler, the first and second waveguides being spaced apart from a coupling face by a first distance D1 and a second distance D2, greater than D1, respectively; b) transferring, to the coupling face, at least one first block and at least one second block formed of a first and of a second photonic stack, respectively; c) forming, from the first block and from the second block, respectively, a first component and a second component coupled, respectively, to the first waveguide evanescently or adiabatically, and to the second waveguide via the grating.

Provided herein is a depolarizer circuit having an input waveguide configured to receive light from a light source; a splitter configured to provide light from the input waveguide in a first and second polarization states; a first rotator configured to rotate the light from the first polarization state to the second polarization state; a first delay line configured to delay the light in the second polarization state; a coupler configured to couple the rotated and delayed light; a second rotator configured to rotate the coupled light back to the first polarization state; a second delay line configured to delay the coupled light in the second polarization state; and a combiner configured to combine light from second rotator and delay line as depolarized light, where the first and second delay lines provide a phase delay difference therebetween greater than or equal to a coherence of the light source.