An optical coupler can be provided for coupling a light beam into a waveguide. The optical coupler can include a stepped structure, such as to reduce difficulties during manufacture, reduce expenses associated with manufacture, and additionally, to provide an increased acceptance angle of the optical coupler. The waveguide can include a guiding region where a cladding thickness can be increased relative to a coupling region, such as to reduce losses due to evanescent outcoupling in the guiding region.

An apparatus for polarization state generation and phase control includes a Stokes Basis generator to generate multiple Stokes Bases from one or more input beams, an intensity modulator to modulate an intensity of each of the Stokes Bases, and a beam combiner to combine the modulated Stokes Bases into an output beam. A method of polarization state generation and phase control includes generating multiple Stokes Bases from an input beam; modulating an intensity of each of Stokes Bases; and combining the modulated Stokes Bases into an output beam.

An optical modulator module includes: a semiconductor modulator that includes a plurality of output waveguides; a first cylindrical lens that has a longitudinal direction in a direction in which the plurality of output waveguides are aligned, and through which lights output from the plurality of output waveguides penetrate; and a plurality of second cylindrical lenses each having a longitudinal direction that intersects with the longitudinal direction of the first cylindrical lens and allowing a corresponding light of the lights output from the plurality of output waveguides to penetrate therethrough.

A beam guidance system for the stable transmission of a polarization of laser light and a method for transmitting laser light are provided. The beam guidance system includes an optical fibre, a coupling device with an input and an output and a decoupling device for decoupling the laser light from the optical fibre.

An optical module that implements an MMI device including an optical hybrid primarily made of semiconductor material is disclosed. The MMI device, which has a rectangular plane shape and includes multi-mode couplers, is mounted on a carrier. The carrier provides a step extending in a whole lateral width of a top surface thereof, where the step makes a gap against the MMI device in an area where the MMI couplers are formed.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an optical communications apparatus, where the apparatus includes: an input system, a first optical switch array, and an output system, where the input system includes N input ports that are one-dimensionally arranged on a first plane, a first beam expander, a demultiplexer, and a first optical path changer; the first optical switch array includes NK first optical switch units that are two-dimensionally arranged on a second plane, and the first optical switch units can rotate in a first axial line direction and a second axial line direction; and the output system includes a second optical path changer, a second beam expander, a second optical switch array, and M output ports that are two-dimensionally arranged.

The present disclosure provides a backlight module and a display device. The backlight module includes a light source and a light guide plate. The backlight module further includes: a light collimation element configured to convert divergent rays emitted from the light source into parallel rays; a polarizing beam-splitting element configured to convert the parallel rays into a first polarized ray and a second polarized ray with their vibration directions perpendicular to each other; and a phase delaying element configured to convert the vibration direction of the second polarized ray to be identical to that of the first polarized ray, so as to form a third polarized ray. The first and third polarized rays form incident polarized rays entering into the light guide plate. The light guide plate is configured to receive the incident polarized rays.

An aspect of the present invention is an optical element that combines light waves using a spatial optical system, including a housing section, an optical waveguide element, a combine section, and a collimator section is provided. The housing section has a storage space and is formed by joining two or more members together. The optical waveguide element is provided in the storage space and emits at least two light waves. The combine section is provided outside the storage space and combines the light waves emitted from the optical waveguide element outside the housing section using a spatial optical system. The collimator section is connected to the housing section, holds the combine section, and includes a light focusing section configured to focus a light wave combined by the combine section and an optical fiber to which the light wave focused by the light focusing section is introduced.

A curved reflective has at least one location having a radius of curvature in a range from about 6 mm to about 1000 mm. Each location on the reflective polarizer has a maximum reflectance greater than about 70% for a block polarization state, a maximum transmittance greater than about 70% for an orthogonal pass polarization state, and a minimum transmittance for the block polarization state. For a continuous first portion of the reflective polarizer extending between different first and second edges of the reflective polarizer and defining disjoint second and third portions of the reflective polarizer, the minimum transmittance of the reflective polarizer for the block polarization state is higher at each location in at least 70% of the first portion than at each location in at least 70% of the second portion and at each location in at least 70% of the third portion.

An object is to provide an optical coupling system having a simplified structure and a small size and an optical communication device using the optical coupling system. The object is achieved by an optical coupling system that couples a multi-core fiber and coupled devices to each other using a combination of a polarized light beam control element facing a light incident and emission surface of a multi-core fiber and a polarization-selective diffraction element that is positioned on a side of the polarized light beam control element opposite to the emission surface of the multi-core fiber and that faces the coupled devices.