A system for integrated power combiners is disclosed and may include receiving optical signals in input optical waveguides and phase-modulating the signals to configure a phase offset between signals received at a first optical coupler, where the first optical coupler may generate output signals having substantially equal optical powers. Output signals of the first optical coupler may be phase-modulated to configure a phase offset between signals received at a second optical coupler, which may generate an output signal having an optical power of essentially zero and a second output signal having a maximized optical power. Optical signals received by the input optical waveguides may be generated utilizing a polarization-splitting grating coupler to enable polarization-insensitive combining of optical signals. Optical power may be monitored using optical detectors. The monitoring of optical power may be used to determine a desired phase offset between the signals received at the first optical coupler.

A surface grating coupler for polarization splitting or diverse includes a planar layer and an array of scattering elements arranged in the planar layer at intersections of a first set of concentric elliptical curves crossing with a second set of concentric elliptical curves rotated proximately 90 or 180 degrees to form a two-dimensional (2D) grating. Additionally, the grating coupler includes a first waveguide in double-taper shape and a second waveguide in double-taper shape respectively for split or diverse an incident light into the 2D grating into two output light to two output ports with a same (either TE or TM) polarization mode or one output port with TE polarization mode and another output port with TM polarization mode. The polarization diverse grating coupler is required to test multiple polarization sensitive photonics components and can be used with other single polarization grating coupler via a fiber array to perform wafer-level testing.

Provided is an optical modulator. The optical modulator includes an optical waveguide device and an electrochromic device on the optical waveguide device. The optical waveguide device includes a cladding layer and a core layer extending in a first direction on the cladding layer. The electrochromic device includes a lower electrode on the core layer, an upper electrode facing the lower electrode, an electrolyte layer between the lower electrode and the upper electrode, and an electrochromic layer between the lower electrode and the electrolyte layer.

Example polarization splitter and rotator devices are described. In one example, an optical apparatus includes a splitter configured to split a light signal into a first signal having a first polarization and a second signal having a second polarization, a polarization rotator configured to rotate the second polarization of the second signal into a third polarization, and a polarization mode converter configured to convert the third polarization of the second signal into the first polarization. In certain aspects of the embodiments, the splitter can be a curved multi-mode inference (MMI) polarization splitter, and the polarization rotator comprises input and output ports, with the output port being wider than the input port. The polarization mode converter can be an asymmetrical waveguide taper mode converter. The devices described herein can overcome the deficiencies of conventional devices and provide low insertion loss, flat and/or wide wavelength response, high fabrication tolerance, and compact size.

A light-guide optical element (LOE) includes a transparent substrate having two parallel major external surfaces for guiding light within the substrate by total internal reflection (TIR). Mutually parallel internal surfaces within the LOE are provided with a structural polarizer which is transparent to light polarized parallel to a primary polarization transmission axis, and is partially or fully reflective to light polarized perpendicular to the primary polarization transmission axis. By suitable orientation of the polarization axis of successive internal surfaces together with the polarization mixing properties of TIR and/or use of birefringent materials, it is possible to achieve the desired proportion of coupling-out of the image illumination from each successive facet.

A duplex fiber optic adapter, comprising a pair of fiber optic connector assemblies, a housing and a pair of ports positioned within the housing is provided. The housing has a pair of opening structures on one end, configured for fixed attachment of the pair of fiber optic connector assemblies, and a pair of polarity reversal connector openings on an opposing end, configured to receive a pair of ferrules of a fiber optic connector. When a fiber optic connector is inserted into the adapter and the adapter is coupled to a mating fiber optic connector, the pair of ferrules is engaged in the pair of ports of the housing and coupling ferrules of each pair of fiber optic connector assemblies is engaged in a pair of ports of the mating fiber optic connector, establishing a polarity reversal connection between the fiber optic connector and mating fiber optic connector via the adapter.

An integrated photonics optical gyroscope fabricated on a silicon nitride (SiN) waveguide platform comprises a first straight waveguide to receive incoming light and to output outgoing light to be coupled to a photodetector to provide an optical signal for rotational sensing. The gyroscope comprises a first microresonator ring proximate to the first straight waveguide. Light evanescently couples from the first straight waveguide to the first microresonator ring and experiences propagation loss while circulating as a guided beam within the first microresonator ring. The guided beam evanescently couples back from the first microresonator ring to the first straight waveguide to provide the optical signal for rotational sensing after optical gain is imparted to guided beam to counter the propagation loss. In a coupled-ring configurations, the first microresonator ring acts as a loss ring, and optical gain is imparted to a second microresonator ring which acts as a gain ring.

A LiDAR system includes an optical source to emit an optical beam and a PSR a silicon nitride based waveguide to split and rotate an optical beam. The silicon nitride based waveguide includes a first silicon nitride segment including a first layer and a second layer, the first silicon nitride segment having tapered widths along a longitudinal direction. The second layer includes a first section extending from a first end of the first silicon nitride segment to a converging plane with increasing widths and a second section extending from the converging plane to a second end of the first silicon nitride segment with decreasing widths. The LIDAR system further includes an optical element to generate a local oscillator (LO) signal and an optical detector to mix the target return signal with the LO signal to generate a heterodyne signal to extract range and velocity information of the target.

A mode coupling connector system that includes a first and second fiber connector each coupled to a coupler housing. The first and second fiber connectors are positioned in first and second receiving cavities of the coupler housing, respectively. The first and second fiber connector each have a ferrule with a fiber receiving hole extending from an outer end to an inner end of the ferrule. The fiber receiving hole of the first and second fiber connector are in axial alignment. The mode coupling connector system further includes a mode coupling plate having a phase mask array of a plurality of phase masks. The mode coupling plate is positioned in a plate receiving hole of the coupler housing between the first and second receiving cavity and at least two phase masks of the phase mask array are circumscribed by the fiber receiving hole of both the first and second fiber connector.

The present disclosure relates to system-level integration of lasers, electronics, integrated photonics-based optical components and a sensing chip. Novel waveguide design on the integrated photonics chip, acting as a front-end chip, ensures precise detection of phase change in a fiber coil or a sensing chip having a waveguide coil or ring resonator, where the sending chip is coupled to the front end chip. Strip waveguides are designed to primarily select TE mode over TM mode when laser light is coupled into the integrated photonics chip. A plurality of mode-selective filters, based on multi-mode interference (MMI) filter, a serpentine structure, or other types of waveguide-based mode-selective structure, are introduced in the system architecture. Additionally, implant regions are introduced around the waveguides and other optical components to block unwanted/stray light into the waveguides and optical signal leaking out of the waveguide.