Disclosed are methods of making a planar optical waveguide, the method including depositing an uncured waveguide material on a substrate, the uncured waveguide material having a first temperature when deposited and the uncured waveguide material having a density dependent on the temperature thereof; changing the temperature of at least a portion of the uncured waveguide material to a second temperature before curing, after curing, during curing or any combination thereof; and curing the uncured waveguide material to form the planar optical waveguide.

An electro-absorption modulator (EAM) comprising an integrated high speed electro-optical control loop for very high-speed linearization and temperature compensation for analog optical data center interconnect applications is disclosed. The control loop can function in a stable manner because the electronics and optical components are monolithically integrated on a single substrate in small form factor. Because of the small size enabled by monolithic integration, the temperatures of the optical blocks and electronics blocks are tightly coupled, and the control loop time delays and phase delays are small enough to be stable, even for very high frequency operation. This arrangement enables a low cost, low power analog transmitter implementation for data center optical interconnect applications using advanced modulation schemes, such as PAM-4 and DP-QPSK.

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to directing thermal energy within a photonic device. In one embodiment, the photonic device includes an optical component that is temperature sensitive and that provides a different response to light propagated within the optical component according to a present temperature of the optical component. The photonic device includes a heat source disposed at a separating distance from the optical component and that produces thermal energy within the photonic device. The photonic device includes a first thermal guide disposed proximate to the optical component and the heat source and spanning the separating distance. The first thermal guide concentrating the thermal energy from the heat source to the optical component.

An electro-absorption modulator (EAM) comprising an integrated high speed electro-optical control loop for very high-speed linearization and temperature compensation for analog optical data center interconnect applications is disclosed. The control loop can function in a stable manner because the electronics and optical components are monolithically integrated on a single substrate in small form factor. Because of the small size enabled by monolithic integration, the temperatures of the optical blocks and electronics blocks are tightly coupled, and the control loop time delays and phase delays are small enough to be stable, even for very high frequency operation. This arrangement enables a low cost, low power analog transmitter implementation for data center optical interconnect applications using advanced modulation schemes, such as PAM-4 and DP-QPSK.

A high-resolution photonic thermometer article performs high-resolution thermometry and includes: a light source; a photonic thermometer with a waveguide and a photonic crystal cavity that stores light; a photodetector in communication with the photonic thermometer; a phase sensitive detector in communication with the photodetector and that: receives the photodetector signal from the photodetector; receives a reference frequency signal; and produces a lock signal from the photodetector signal, based on the reference frequency signal; a local oscillator in communication with the phase sensitive detector and that produces the reference frequency signal; and a servo controller in communication with the phase sensitive detector and local oscillator and that: receives the lock signal from the phase sensitive detector; receives the reference frequency signal from the local oscillator; and produces the control signal such that absorption power of the photonic crystal is maximized through wavelength control of the light source by the control signal.

A photonic integrated circuit is provided that is adapted to compensate for an unintentional manufactured refractive index profile, such as a gradient, that arises due to manufacturing variance. The photonic integrated circuit including at least a thermal source and a spaced thermal sink to induce a thermal gradient in the photonic integrated circuit between the thermal source and the spaced thermal sink, the thermal gradient imparts an opposing thermal refractive index profile to correct for the manufactured refractive index profile. In some embodiments the photonic integrated circuit may be constructed with features that have an intentional structured refractive index profile that ensures any unintentional manufactured refractive index profile is correctable by the opposing thermal refractive index profile induced by the thermal source.

Integrated target waveguide devices and optical analytical systems comprising such devices are provided. The target devices include an optical coupler that is optically coupled to an integrated waveguide and that is configured to receive optical input from an optical source through free space, particularly through a low numerical aperture interface. The devices and systems are useful in the analysis of highly multiplexed optical reactions in large numbers at high densities, including biochemical reactions, such as nucleic acid sequencing reactions. The devices provide for the efficient and reliable coupling of optical excitation energy from an optical source to the optical reactions. Optical signals emitted from the reactions can thus be measured with high sensitivity and discrimination. The devices and systems are well suited for miniaturization and high throughput.

Aspects of the present disclosure are directed toward designs and methods improving optical sensing, wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) telecommunication transceivers, WDM add/drops, and spectrometer techniques that may benefit from a stable wavelength reference. The disclosed designs and methods are useful in the manufacture of a stable wavelength reference that may compensate for temperature variations.

Back scattering in an optical waveguide at an operating wavelength is controlled by adjusting an optical phase of light propagating in the waveguide at one or more locations along the waveguide. A portion of the back scattered light is tapped off near an input port and coupled into a photodetector. A controller detects changes in the photodetector signal and adjusts an optical phase tuner configured to control the optical phase of light in the waveguide at the selected location or locations. The optical phase tuner may be configured to vary the refractive index of at least a portion of the waveguide.

The disclosed subject matter relates to semiconductor devices for use in optoelectronic/photonic applications and integrated circuit (IC) chips. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to photonic devices having thermally conductive layers for the removal of heat from optoelectronic components in the photonic devices.