The present invention relates to optical vias to optically connect multilevel optical circuits. In one example, the optical via includes a surface plasmon polariton waveguide, and a first optical waveguide formed on a first substrate is coupled to a second optical waveguide formed on a second substrate by the surface plasmon polariton waveguide. In some embodiments, the first optical waveguide includes a transition region configured to convert light from an optical mode to a surface plasmon polariton mode or from a surface plasmon polariton mode to an optical mode.

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.

In a first embodiment aspect presented in this disclosure, an optical wafer-level (OWL) package includes a frontside electrical redistribution layer (RDL) and a molding compound layer, the OWL package further including at least one of (1) an optical transmitter at least partially embedded within the molding compound layer and electrically coupled to the frontside electrical RDL, the optical transmitter arranged for providing an optically modulated output data signal; or (2) an optical receiver at least partially embedded within the molding compound layer and electrically coupled to the frontside electrical RDL, the optical receiver arranged for receiving an optically modulated input data signal.

An optical fiber module is attached to and detached from a host device having an optical engine and an internal optical connector optically connected to the optical engine. The optical fiber module includes a housing having a first surface exposed in a state of being attached to the host device and a second surface facing the first surface; at least one first optical connector provided on the first surface; and a second optical connector provided on the second surface and capable of being optically connected to the internal optical connector. Furthermore, the optical fiber module includes: a first optical fiber optically connecting the first optical connector and the second optical connector to each other; and a light source module supplying light to the optical engine via the second optical connector.