A photonic processing module (100) comprises a high index-contrast waveguide device comprising a substrate (102), a first layer (104) disposed on the substrate having a first refractive index, and a relatively thin second layer (106) disposed on the first layer. The second layer has a second refractive index providing a high index-contrast with the first layer, and the device includes at least one thin-ridge waveguide element (108) formed in the second layer which supports a guided mode in a longitudinal direction. An optical input port (110) is configured to direct an input beam into a slab mode of the second layer, the beam being directed to propagate at a predetermined angle to the longitudinal direction of the thin-ridge waveguide element. The angle is associated with a resonant coupling between the slab mode of the second layer and the guided mode of the thin-ridge waveguide element. An output beam is thus generated when the input beam includes one or more optical components corresponding with the resonant coupling. An optical output port (112) is configured to receive the output beam.

In an optical circuit using a Mach-Zehnder-type element, it is difficult to obtain an optical circuit which has a less wavelength dependence and is suitable for achieving high integration. Accordingly, an optical circuit according to the present invention includes: a first Mach-Zehnder-type element including a first branch waveguide, a first branching/combining unit connected to one end of the first branch waveguide, and a second branching/combining unit connected to another end of the first branch waveguide and having a branch configuration different from that of the first branching/combining unit; and a second Mach-Zehnder-type element including a second branch waveguide, a third branching/combining unit connected to one end of the second branch waveguide, and a fourth branching/combining unit connected to another end of the second branch waveguide and having a branch configuration different from that of the third branching/combining unit. The first branch waveguide and the second branch waveguide each include a phase difference adjustment means. In the second branching/combining unit and the third branching/combining unit, light coupling between two basic modes with a phase inverted and a higher-order mode, is smaller than that in the first branching/combining unit and the fourth branching/combining unit. The first Mach-Zehnder-type element and the second Mach-Zehnder-type element are connected with each other through the second branching/combining unit and the third branching/combining unit.

An optical routing element may include a planar dielectric photonic crystal which includes a lattice of holes having a first linear defect adjacent a second linear defect, with the two defects being separated by a central row of lattice holes. The first linear defect in the lattice of holes may form a first single mode line defect waveguide, and the second linear defect in the lattice of holes may form a second single mode line defect waveguide. Optical energy may be selectively coupled between the first and second waveguides across the central row of lattice holes. A free-carrier injector may be included to inject free-carriers into the dielectric photonic crystal, activation of which may alter selectivity of the optical coupling between the first and second waveguides. A plurality of optical routing elements with associated free-carrier injectors may be interconnected to form a bi-directional optical routing array.

A tunable optical directional coupler includes a first waveguide and a second waveguide proximal to the first waveguide, the first and second waveguides defining a light-coupling coefficient. The tunable optical directional coupler also includes a doped junction having a refractive index that is responsive to an applied bias voltage wherein the refractive index is changeable to enable tuning of the light-coupling coefficient. The tunable optical directional coupler may be used to split power, tune the phase, split polarizations or to tune a ratio of a tap-monitor.

An optical routing element may include a planar dielectric photonic crystal which includes a lattice of holes having a first linear defect adjacent a second linear defect, with the two defects being separated by a central row of lattice holes. The first linear defect in the lattice of holes may form a first single mode line defect waveguide, and the second linear defect in the lattice of holes may form a second single mode line defect waveguide. Optical energy may be selectively coupled between the first and second waveguides across the central row of lattice holes. A free-carrier injector may be included to inject free-carriers into the dielectric photonic crystal, activation of which may alter selectivity of the optical coupling between the first and second waveguides. A plurality of optical routing elements with associated free-carrier injectors may be interconnected to form a bi-directional optical routing array.

The invention relates to an optical phase array with a signal input for supplying use light of a first wavelength and a first modulation input for supplying modulation light of a second wavelength. A first waveguide array with at least one signal output is connected to the signal input and comprises a material transparent to the use light and having a first bandgap. A second waveguide array connected to the first modulation input is arranged and designed in the vicinity of the first waveguide array in such a way as to guide modulation light onto the first waveguide array, the first band gap being smaller than the energy of the modulation light.

A method includes propagating light in a first waveguide of a 12 optical switch. The first waveguide is adjacent to a second waveguide in a coupling region. The 12 optical switch comprising an input to receive the light and couple the light to the first waveguide. The 12 optical switch further comprising a first output to output light from the first waveguide and a second output to output the light from the second waveguide. The method further includes coupling the light to the first output and the second output based on absorption values of the second waveguide in the coupling region; adjusting absorption values of the second waveguide in the coupling region such that light is directed from the input to only the first output; and coupling light to only the first output based on the adjusted absorption values of the second waveguide in the coupling region.

An example system includes a high-side electrode layer having a first number of electrical members alternated with, and electrically coupled to adjacent ones of a second number of electrical members, where either the first number of electrical members or the second number of electrical members are discrete electrodes, and the other one of the first or second number of electrical members are resistors. Accordingly, the high-side electrode layer is formed from alternating discrete electrodes and resistors. The example system further includes a low-side electrode layer, and an electro-optic (EO) layer having an EO active material at least partially positioned between the high-side electrode layer and the low-side electrode layer, thereby forming a number of active cells of the EO layer.

Proposed is a device for switching an optical signal, the device including a first waveguide constituting an input port and a first output port; and a second waveguide constituting a second output port, wherein the first waveguide is formed of a first material, wherein the second waveguide is formed of the first material and contains a second material, wherein a gap between the first and second waveguides has a first value in a first section, a gap therebetween has a value increasing from the first value to a second value in a second section, and a gap therebetween has a third value in a third section, wherein at least one portion of the first section and at least one portion of the second section overlap in the one section, and wherein a grating structure applies to the first and second waveguides in at least one portion of the first section.