An integrated mode converter and multiplexer (/demultiplexer) is disclosed, which combines a multimode interference coupler (100), at least one phase-shifter (200) and a symmetrical Y-junction (300). The dispersion of the multimode interference coupler (100) is engineered through subwavelength structures in order to achieve a very wide bandwidth. Several phase-shifter (200) topologies for further bandwidth enhancement are disclosed, as well as architectures for multiplexing a greater number of optical modes.

A device includes a module comprising an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), and a filter having a filter input port, a filter output port, and a filter COMM output port. The filter is operable such that a first range of wavelengths entering the filter at the filter input port is directed to the filter output port and a second range of wavelengths entering the filter at the filter input port is directed to the COMM output port. The AWG includes an AWG input port optically coupled to the filter output port to receive the first range of wavelengths, and a plurality of AWG output ports.

Electrical test of optical components via metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitor structures is provided via a plurality of optical devices including a first material embedded in a second material, wherein each optical device is associated with a different thickness range of a plurality of thickness ranges for the first material; a first capacitance measurement point including the first material embedded in the second material; and a second capacitance measurement point including a region from which the first material has been replaced with the second material.

High-channel-count optical transceivers can be implemented in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) with shared lasers, splitting the light of each laser between multiple lanes prior to modulation. To reduce waveguide crossings in such PICs, transmitter and self-test functionality may be distributed between separate device layers. Various beneficial transmitter circuitry layouts are disclosed.

A digital measuring device implemented on a photonic integrated circuit, the digital measuring device including a laser source implemented on the photonic integrated circuit configured to provide light, a first waveguide structure implemented on the photonic integrated circuit configured to direct a first portion of light from the laser source at a moving object and receive light reflected from the moving object, a second waveguide structure implemented on the photonic integrated circuit configured to combine a second portion of light from the laser source with the light reflected from the moving object to produce a measurement beam, a first multiplexer implemented on the photonic integrated circuit configured to split the measurement beam into a plurality of channels, and a plurality of detectors implemented on the photonic integrated circuit configured to detect an intensity value of each channel to measure a distance between the digital measuring device and the moving object.

A wavelength monitoring circuit obtains a light output proportional to only an input optical signal, independent of wavelength, by adding a light split circuit to the configuration in the related art, or changing the light split circuit to a light trifurcation circuit. In addition, wavelength monitoring with high accuracy is possible while improving the resistance to noise. The extraction of the light output proportional to only the input optical signal is performed by a light split circuit for input light at the top stage of the wavelength monitoring circuit or a light split circuit for interference in a stage in the middle of the circuit. The changed light split circuit causes the MZI included in the wavelength monitoring circuit to operate in a state of losing the balance of the configuration or the optical signal level, and increases the signal level near the bottom portion of the transmission characteristics.

There is disclosed in one example a fiberoptic communication device, including: a modulator to modulate data onto a laser pulse; and a semiconductor laser source including an active optical waveguide to provide optical gain and support an optical mode, the laser source further including a V-shaped current channel superimposed on the optical waveguide, and disposed to feed the active optical waveguide with electrical current along its length, the current channel having a proximate end to the optical mode, the proximate end having a width substantially matching a diameter of the optical mode, and a removed end from the optical mode, wherein the removed end is substantially wider than the proximate end.

Structures for a wavelength splitter used in a wavelength-division-multiplexing filter stage and methods of forming same. The structure comprises a first waveguide core including a first section, a second section, and a phase delay line between the first section and the second section. The phase delay line of the first waveguide core includes a delay section and a plurality of segments longitudinally arranged in the delay section. The structure further comprises a second waveguide core including a first section, a second section, and a phase delay line between the first section and the second section. The first section of the second waveguide core is positioned adjacent to the first section of the first waveguide core to define a first directional coupler, and the second section of the second waveguide core is positioned adjacent to the second section of the first waveguide core to define a second directional coupler.

A super-compact arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) wavelength division multiplexer based on a sub-wavelength grating is provided and includes an input waveguide, a first planar waveguide, an arrayed waveguide, a second planar waveguide, and the output waveguide that are sequentially connected. The input waveguide has 1 port, and the output waveguide has 8 ports. The arrayed waveguide includes 50 equivalent uniform strip waveguides with the same length difference, and each of the equivalent uniform strip waveguides is configured as a sub-wavelength grating structure, thereby forming the effect of increasing group refractive index or transmission delay based on a slow light effect. The 8 channels with a channel spacing of 200 GHz have the minimum adjacent channel crosstalk of less than -27 dB, and the overall size is within 300×230 .Math.m.sup.2. In the multiplexer, the overall integration size of the device is reduced by an order of magnitude.

An optical system has a LIDAR chip that includes a switch configured to direct an outgoing LIDAR signal to one of multiple different alternate waveguides. The system also includes a redirection component configured to receive the outgoing LIDAR signal from any one of the alternate waveguides. The redirection component is also configured to redirect the received outgoing LIDAR signal such that a direction that the outgoing LIDAR signal travels away from the redirection component changes in response to changes in the alternate waveguide to which the optical switch directs the outgoing LIDAR signal.