Proposed is an optical component comprising: at least one first waveguide, the first waveguide comprising at least one partially reflective output end facet, wherein light passing the output end facet of the first waveguide propagates along a first propagation direction, and at least one second waveguide receiving the light passing the output end facet of the first waveguide at an input end facet of the second waveguide and guiding the light in a second propagation direction, wherein the output end facet and the input end facet are spaced from each other; and wherein the first waveguide and the second waveguide are arranged such that the first propagation direction and the second propagation direction are different. This proposal provides a concept, which is more efficient in view of coupling efficiency between the waveguides of the optical component.

Multi-directional optical devices are disclosed. The optical device may employ a multiple input/multiple output optical coupling structure to determine propagation direction of received light (in receiver configuration), and/or control the propagation direction of transmitted light (in transmitter configuration). Propagation direction can be determined without the need for moving parts. In accordance with some embodiments, designs of solid-state photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are disclosed herein that utilize N×M star couplers to perform Fourier transformations to light traversing between the N ports and M ports such that light arriving at one or more of the N ports is distributed with a linear phase profile across the M ports. The slope of the linear phase profile is dependent on which of the N ports that light was received from. The light exits from waveguides coupled to the M ports at one or more propagation directions dependent on the linear phase profile.

Optical devices including an optical splitter and a duplex optical connector are disclosed. In one embodiment, an optical device includes an optical splitter having an input, a network output, and a pass-through output, wherein the optical splitter is configured to split an input signal received at the input into a network optical signal at the network output and a pass-through output signal at the pass-through output. The optical device further includes a duplex connector having an input connection point and a pass-through connection point, an input waveguide optically coupling the input connection point to the input of the optical splitter, and a pass-through waveguide optically coupling the pass-through connection point to the pass-through output of the optical splitter.

Circuits for generating a pair of qudits in a maximally entangled state and methods of operating such circuits are disclosed. The circuits can be photonic circuits that use a combination of beam splitters, phase shifters, and detectors to produce an entangled pair of d-dimensional qudits from an input set of 4d photons. In a case where d equals 2, a pair of qubits in a Bell state can be generated.

Optical splitters and system and methods utilizing optical splitters are disclosed. The optical splitter may include an input waveguide, a free propagation region, and a plurality output waveguides. The output waveguides are connected to the free propagation region at a corresponding plurality of output ports that are positioned along a non-circular path. The output ports may be positioned such that the output waveguides have the same width.

An optical telescope may include an array of optical lenslets in a common plane, and optical waveguides extending from respective optical lenslets and each having a common optical path delay. Further, at least one optical star coupler may be downstream from the optical waveguides, and an optical detector may be downstream from the at least one optical star coupler and having an optical image formed thereon.

A fiber combiner includes a capillary and a plurality of input fibers disposed within the capillary. A first portion of the capillary has a first non-zero slope profile along a first portion of an output end of the fiber combiner. A second portion of the capillary has a second non-zero slope profile along a second portion of the output end of the fiber combiner. The second non-zero slope profile is different than the first non-zero slope profile.

An optical splitting apparatus includes an enclosure, an even optical splitter and an uneven optical splitter that are disposed in the enclosure. A light inlet and a plurality of light outlets are disposed on the enclosure, and fiber adapters are disposed on the light outlets. The light inlet, the even optical splitter, the uneven optical splitter, and the light outlets are connected, so that optical paths are formed between the light inlet and the light outlets by using the even optical splitter and the uneven optical splitter. The light inlet is connected to at least one of a light input end of the even optical splitter and a light input end of the uneven optical splitter, and the fiber adapter on the light outlet is connected to at least one of a light output end of the even optical splitter and a light output end of the uneven optical splitter.

A waveguide illuminator includes adjacent linear and slab waveguide areas. An input light beam is guided in a linear waveguide, is split into a plurality of sub-beams to propagate in individual linear waveguides to a slab waveguide area and form an output light beam in the slab waveguide area. An array of out-couplers is disposed in the slab waveguide area. The array of out-couplers out-couples portions of the output light beam forms an array of out-coupled beam portions for illuminating a display panel. Locations of the array of out-couplers are coordinated with locations of individual pixels of the display panel, thereby improving efficiency of light utilization by the display panel.

An optical coupler, a communication method, and a communication system are provided. The communication system includes N transmitters, M receivers, and an optical coupler, where both N and M are positive integers greater than 1. Each of the N transmitters is configured to send one first optical signal to the optical coupler. The optical coupler is configured to couple N first optical signals sent by the N transmitters into one second optical signal and to broadcast the second optical signal to the M receivers. Each of the M receivers is configured to receive the second optical signal sent by the optical coupler and to demodulate the second optical signal.