Embodiments of the disclosure provide an emitter array for an optical sensing system. The emitter array may include a waveguide including a plurality of waveguide branches. The emitter array may also include a plurality of grating switches positioned along each of the plurality of waveguide branches and configured to selectively turn on or off the corresponding waveguide branch for transmitting light. In certain aspects, a grating switch may include an upper grating structure configured to couple to a waveguide branch when the grating switch is activated to allow the light to emit from the waveguide branch.

One example optical splitter chip includes a substrate. The substrate is configured with an input port, configured to receive first signal light, an uneven optical splitting unit, configured to split the first signal light into at least second signal light and third signal light, where optical power of the second signal light is different from optical power of the third signal light, a first output port, configured to output the second signal light, an even optical splitting unit group, including at least one even optical splitting unit, configured to split the third signal light into at least two channels of equal signal light, where optical power of the at least two channels of equal signal light is the same, and at least two second output ports, which are in a one-to-one correspondence with the at least two channels of equal signal light.

A display may have an array of display pixels that generate an image. A coherent fiber bundle may be mounted on the display pixels. The coherent fiber bundle may have a first surface that is adjacent to the display pixels and a second surface that is visible to a viewer. The coherent fiber bundle may contain fibers that carry light from the first surface to the second surface. The second surface may be planar or may have a central planar region and curved edge regions that run along opposing sides of the central planar region. The fibers may have cross-sectional surface areas with a first aspect ratio on the first surface and a second aspect ratio that is greater than the first aspect ratio on the second surface.

A vertical directional coupler or switch comprising a lower and an upper waveguide, integrated with an optical phase change material disposed between the lower and upper waveguides to control a directional of optical coupling between the lower and upper waveguides.

Provided is a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) apparatus including a light source configured to generate light, an optical transmitter configured to emit the light generated by the light source to outside of the LiDAR apparatus, an optical receiver configured to receive light from the outside of the LiDAR apparatus, a resonance-type photodetector configured to selectively amplify and detect light having a same wavelength as a wavelength of light generated by the light source among the light received by the optical receiver, and a processor configured to control the light source and the resonance-type photodetector, wherein the resonance-type photodetector includes a resonator, a phase modulator provided on the resonator and configured to control a phase of light traveling along the resonator based on control of the processor, and an optical detector configured to detect an intensity of the light traveling along the resonator.

An integrated-optics MEMS-actuated beam-steering system is disclosed, wherein the beam-steering system includes a lens and a programmable vertical coupler array having a switching network and an array of vertical couplers, where the switching network can energize of the vertical couplers such that it efficiently emits the light into free-space. The lens collimates the light received from the energized vertical coupler and directs the output beam along a propagation direction determined by the position of the energized vertical coupler within the vertical-coupler array. In some embodiments, the vertical coupler is configured to correct an aberration of the lens. In some embodiments, more than one vertical coupler can be energized to enable steering of multiple output beams. In some embodiments, the switching network is non-blocking.

An optical analog-to-digital (AD) converter includes, wherein the optical AD converter converts an analog signal of information included in inputted signal light into a digital signal, and is formed of N stages corresponding to a number N of bits of the digital signal, optical waveguides configured to respectively guide the signal light, base light obtained by branching local light, and reference light obtained by branching the local light, a light receiver configured to detect and compare light levels of the signal light and the reference light, and output a binary comparison result, and an optical modulator configured to variably control a light level of the base light, based on the binary comparison result, in each stage of the N stages, wherein an output variably controlled of the optical modulator is multiplexed with the reference light of a next stage.

Integrated Optical Phased Array device is a good potential solution for the solid-state LIDAR technology in the application of autonomous driving technique. However, some difficulties still limit the development of OPA devices, one of them is the conflict between the requirement of fewer units in the phase-tuning system and more elements in the emitting system. The present disclosure provides an approach of a Phase-Combining Waveguide Doubler (PCWD) to address this issue. This device can double the waveguide number without any phase mismatch. It enables the capability to control 2N−1 emitting elements with N phase shifters. The device is competitive to any grating coupler array based or end-fire based emitting method, which can potentially satisfy the requirement of a sub-wavelength pitch.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an emitter array for an optical sensing system. The emitter array may include a waveguide including a plurality of waveguide branches. The emitter array may also include a plurality of grating switches positioned along each of the plurality of waveguide branches and configured to selectively turn on or off the corresponding waveguide branch for transmitting light. In certain aspects, a grating switch may include an upper grating structure configured to couple to a waveguide branch when the grating switch is activated to allow the light to emit from the waveguide branch.

An integrated-optics MEMS-actuated beam-steering system is disclosed, wherein the beam-steering system includes a lens and a programmable vertical coupler array having a switching network and an array of vertical couplers, where the switching network can energize of the vertical couplers such that it efficiently emits the light into free-space. The lens collimates the light received from the energized vertical coupler and directs the output beam along a propagation direction determined by the position of the energized vertical coupler within the vertical-coupler array. In some embodiments, the vertical coupler is configured to correct an aberration of the lens. In some embodiments, more than one vertical coupler can be energized to enable steering of multiple output beams. In some embodiments, the switching network is non-blocking.