An optical assembly includes a connector assembly, a plurality of port assemblies, and a frame assembly. The connector assembly includes an optical fiber connector. The plurality of port assemblies is fixed in position relative to each other. The frame assembly includes a frame directly attached to the connector assembly or directly attached to the plurality of port assemblies. The frame is moveable to align the connector with each of the port assemblies. The connector is insertable into each of the port assemblies when the connector is aligned with a respective one of the port assemblies by moving the connector or the respective port assembly aligned with the connector along a single axis and into the respective port assembly.

An optical switch includes a bus waveguide and an optical antenna supported by a substrate, a first and second coupling waveguide, a first and second actuation electrode, and a first and second reaction electrode. The first coupling waveguide is disposed parallel with the substrate and aligned with the bus waveguide. The first reaction electrode is coupled with, and adjacent to, the first coupling waveguide. The second coupling waveguide is optically connected with the first coupling waveguide and suspended over and configured to optically couple with the optical antenna. The second reaction electrode is coupled with, and adjacent to, the second coupling waveguide. The first and second actuation electrodes are supported by the substrate and configured to control the position of the first and second coupling waveguide, respectively, relative to the bus waveguide and optical antenna, via the first and second reaction electrodes.

A large-scale single-photonics-based optical switching system that occupies an area larger than the maximum area of a standard step-and-repeat lithography reticle is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of identical switch blocks, each of is formed in a different reticle field that no larger than the maximum reticle size. Bus waveguides of laterally adjacent switch blocks are stitched together at lateral interfaces that include a second arrangement of waveguide ports that is common to all lateral interfaces. Bus waveguides of vertically adjacent switch blocks are stitched together at vertical interfaces that include a first arrangement of waveguide ports that is common to all vertical interfaces. In some embodiments, the lateral and vertical interfaces include waveguide ports having waveguide coupling regions that are configured to mitigate optical loss due to stitching error.

The optical switch 10 comprises a first waveguide 11, a second waveguide 12, and an exchanger 13. The first waveguide 11 comprises a first end E1 and a second end E2. The second waveguide 12 comprises a third end E3 and a fourth end E4, respectively located on the first end E1 side and the second end E2 side as viewed from the center of the first waveguide 11. The exchanger 13 comprises: a first waveguide section 21 configuring a directional coupler together with the first waveguide 11 and including a phase changing material 23; and a second waveguide section 22 configuring a directional coupler together with the second waveguide 12 and including a phase change material 24. The exchanger 13 inputs electromagnetic waves, input from the first end E1 and output from the first waveguide section 21, to the third end E3 side of the second waveguide section 22. The exchanger 13 inputs electromagnetic waves, input from the third end E3 and output from the second waveguide section 22, to the second end E2 side of the first waveguide section 21.

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.

A device includes a plurality of first switches. Each first switch includes a set of two or more first channels. Each first switch is configured to shift photons in the set of first channels by zero or more channels, based on first configuration information provided to the first switch. The device further includes a plurality of second switches. Each second switch includes a corresponding set of two or more second channels. The plurality of second switches is coupled to two or more output channels. Each second switch is coupled, by the set of second channels, to outputs of two or more first switches. Each second switch is configured to shift photons in the set of second channels by zero or more channels, based on second configuration information provided to the second switch so that photons are provided to respective output channels of the two or more output channels.

An optical scan device includes an optical waveguide array, including a plurality of optical waveguides each of which propagates light along a first direction, that emits a light beam, the plurality of optical waveguides being arranged in a second direction that intersects the first direction, a phase shifter array including a plurality of phase shifters connected separately to each of the plurality of optical waveguides, a control circuit that controls a phase shift amount of each of the plurality of phase shifters and/or inputting of light to each of the plurality of phase shifters and thereby controls a direction and shape of the light beam that is emitted from the optical waveguide array, a photodetector that detects the light beam reflected by a physical object, and a signal processing circuit that generates distance distribution data on the basis of output from the photodetector.

A device (e.g., a photonic multiplexer) is provided that includes a plurality of first switches. Each first switch in the plurality of first switches includes a plurality of first channels. Each first switch is configured to shift photons in the plurality of first channels by zero or more channels, based on first configuration information provided to the first switch. The device further includes a plurality of second switches Each second switch includes a plurality of second channels. Each second channel is coupled with a respective first channel from a distinct first switch of the plurality of first switches. Each second switch is configured to shift photons in the plurality of second channels by zero or more channels, based on second configuration information provided to the second switch.

A large-scale single-photonics-based optical switching system that occupies an area larger than the maximum area of a standard step-and-repeat lithography reticle is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of identical switch blocks, each of is formed in a different reticle field that no larger than the maximum reticle size. Bus waveguides of laterally adjacent switch blocks are stitched together at lateral interfaces that include a second arrangement of waveguide ports that is common to all lateral interfaces. Bus waveguides of vertically adjacent switch blocks are stitched together at vertical interfaces that include a first arrangement of waveguide ports that is common to all vertical interfaces. In some embodiments, the lateral and vertical interfaces include waveguide ports having waveguide coupling regions that are configured to mitigate optical loss due to stitching error.

Described are various configurations of reduced crosstalk optical switches. Various embodiments can reduce or entirely eliminate crosstalk using a coupler that has a power-splitting ratio that compensates for amplitude imbalance caused by phase modulator attenuation. Some embodiments implement a plurality of phase modulators and couplers as part of a dilated switch network to increase overall bandwidth and further reduce potential for crosstalk.