This patent document provides optical processing and switching of optical channels based on mode-division multiplexing (MDM) and wavelength division multiplexing (WDM). In one implementation, a method is provided for processing different optical signal channels to include receiving different input optical signal channels in different optical waveguide modes and in different wavelengths; converting input optical signal channels in multimodes into single-mode optical signal channels, respectively; subsequent to the conversion, processing single-mode optical signal channels obtained from the different input optical signal channels to re-group single-mode optical signal channels into different groups of processed single-mode optical signal channels; and converting different groups of the processed single-mode optical signal channels into different groups of output optical signal channels containing one or more optical signal channels in multimodes multimode signals to direct the groups as different optical outputs.

According to an aspect, an optical system includes a laser diode configured to emit optical signals and at least two size-switchable broken racetrack ring resonators optically coupled to an optical waveguide, where each broken racetrack ring resonator is configured to exhibit a resonant wavelength. The optical system also includes a tuning arrangement associated with the broken racetrack ring resonators, where the tuning arrangement includes a micro electro-mechanical system (MEMS) or nano electro-mechanical system (NEMS) actuator mechanically coupled to a first portion of a first one of the broken racetrack ring resonators and configured to mechanically move the first portion so as to change the resonant wavelength of the first one of the broken racetrack ring resonators.

Electro-optic devices for classical and quantum microwave photonics are provided. In various embodiments, a device comprises: a waveguide; a first ring resonator; a second ring resonator, the second ring resonator evanescently coupled to the first ring resonator and to the waveguide; a first pair of electrodes, one of the first pair of electrodes disposed within the first ring resonator and the other of the first pair of electrodes disposed without the first ring resonator; a second pair of electrodes, one of the second pair of electrodes disposed within the second ring resonator and the other of the second pair of electrodes disposed without the second ring resonator; a microwave source electrically coupled to the first and second pairs of electrodes; a bias port electrically coupled to the first and second pairs of electrodes and configured to sweep a frequency band.

A robust conjugate symmetric optical apparatus is disclosed. The robust conjugate symmetric optical apparatus comprises a first optical cell set and a second optical cell set. The first optical cell set includes a first plurality of cells, each of which includes a first left half cell and a first right half cell, and the respective first right half cell and the corresponding first left half cells form a first symmetric structure therebetween. The second optical cell set includes a second plurality of cells, each of which includes a second left half cell and a second right half cell, and the respective second right half cell and the corresponding second left half cells form a second symmetric structure therebetween, wherein each of the first left half cells of the first optical cell set and each of the second right half cells of the second optical cell set have the same structure; and each of the first right half cells of the first optical cell set and each of the second left half cells of the second optical cell set have the same structure.

The optical amplifier has an inhomogeneously broadened gain material capable of generating a plurality of ensemble gains. A first optical filter and a second optical filter are provided in the photonic integrated circuit. The apparatus has a first laser cavity which includes the optical amplifier, the first optical filter optically coupled to each other and at least two mirrors. The apparatus has a second laser cavity which includes the optical amplifier, the second optical filter optically coupled to each other and at least two mirrors. The first optical filter is tunable to a respective first ensemble gain generated by the optical amplifier and the second filter is tunable to a respective second ensemble gain generated by the optical amplifier; and the second ensemble gain is different from the first ensemble gain. A laser source and an optical transmitter are also disclosed.

A ring resonator electro-optical device includes a first silicon nitride waveguide and a second annular silicon waveguide that comprises a first section running under a second section of the first waveguide. The second waveguide also includes an annular silicon strip having a cross-section increasing in the first section from a minimum cross-section located under the second section.

An electro-optical chip includes an optical input port, an optical output port, and an optical waveguide having a first end optically connected to the optical input port and a second end optically connected to the optical output port. The optical waveguide includes one or more segments. Different segments of the optical waveguide extends in either a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, a direction between horizontal and vertical, or a curved direction. The electro-optical chip also includes a plurality of optical microring resonators is positioned along at least one segment of the optical waveguide. Each microring resonator of the plurality of optical microring resonators is optically coupled to a different location along the optical waveguide. The electro-optical chip also includes electronic circuitry for controlling a resonant wavelength of each microring resonator of the plurality of optical microring resonators.

A Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) photonic integration circuit (PIC) that implements a DWDM system, such as a transceiver, is described. The DWDM PIC architecture includes photonic devices fully integrating on a single manufacturing platform. The DWDM PIC has a multi-wavelength optical laser, a quantum dot (QD) laser with integrated heterogeneous metal oxide semiconductor (H-MOS) capacitor, integrated on-chip. The multi-wavelength optical laser can be a symmetric comb laser that generates two equal outputs of multi-wavelength light. Alternatively, the DWDM PIC can be designed to interface with a stand-alone multi-wavelength optical laser that is off-chip. In some implementations, the DWDM PIC integrates multiple optimally designed photonic devices, such as a silicon geranium (SiGe) avalanche photodetector (APD), an athermal H-MOS wavelength splitter, a QD photodetector, and a heterogenous grating coupler. Accordingly, fabricating the DWDM PIC includes a unique III-V to silicon bonding process, which is adapted for its use of SiGe APDs.

A multi-channel laser source, including: a bus waveguide coupled, at an output end of the bus waveguide, to an output of the multi-channel laser source; a first semiconductor optical amplifier; a first back mirror; a first wavelength-dependent coupler, having a first resonant wavelength, on the bus waveguide; a second semiconductor optical amplifier; a second back mirror; and a second wavelength-dependent coupler, on the bus waveguide, having a second resonant wavelength, different from the first resonant wavelength. In some embodiments the first semiconductor optical amplifier is coupled to the bus waveguide by the first wavelength-dependent coupler, which is nearer to the output end of the bus waveguide than the second wavelength-dependent coupler, the second semiconductor optical amplifier is coupled to the bus waveguide by the second wavelength-dependent coupler, and the first wavelength-dependent coupler is configured to transmit light, at the second resonant wavelength, along the bus waveguide.

A photon source includes a bus waveguide, a photon source pump laser coupled to the bus waveguide and a plurality of optical resonators coupled to the bus waveguide. Each optical resonator of the plurality of optical resonators has a respective resonance line width and a respective resonance frequency, wherein a bandwidth of the resonant center frequencies of the plurality of optical resonators is greater than a bandwidth of the photon source pump laser. The bus waveguide produces photons in response to receiving laser pulses from the pump laser.