A photonics system includes a transmit photonics module and a receive photonics module. The photonics system also includes a transmit waveguide coupled to the transmit photonics module, a first optical switch integrated with the transmit waveguide, and a diagnostics waveguide optically coupled to the first optical switch. The photonics system further includes a receive waveguide coupled to the receive photonics module and a second optical switch integrated with the receive waveguide and optically coupled to the diagnostics waveguide.

A light source (12) outputs a light (L1). A branching unit (13) branches the light (L1) output from the light source (12) into a first branched light (L2) and a local oscillation light (LO). A modulator (14) modulates the first branched light (L2) to output an optical signal (LS1). A receiver (15) causes the local oscillation light (LO) to interfere with an optical signal (LS2) to receive the optical signal (LS2). An EDFA (16) amplifies the optical signal (LS1) output from the modulator (14). An excitation light source (17) outputs an excitation light (Le) exciting the EDFA (16) to the EDFA (16). An optical attenuator (18) attenuates optical power of the optical signal (LS1) amplified by the EDFA (16). A control unit (11) controls attenuation of the optical signal (LS1) in the optical attenuator (18). The control unit (11) adjusts the attenuation of the optical signal (LS1) and adjusts an output of the excitation light (Le) from the excitation light source (17).

Methods and systems for a connectionless integrated optical receiver and transmitter test are disclosed and may include an optoelectronic transceiver comprising a transmit (Tx) path and a receive (Rx) path, with each path comprising optical switches. The transceiver may be operable to: generate a first modulated optical signal utilizing a modulator in the Tx path, couple the first modulated optical signal to a first optical switch in the Rx path via a second optical switch in the Tx path when the optoelectronic transceiver is configured in a self-test mode, receive a second modulated optical signal via a grating coupler in the Rx path when the optoelectronics transceiver is configured in an operational mode, and communicate the second modulated optical signal to a photodetector in the Rx path via the first optical switch. The first modulated optical signal may be communicated to a grating coupler in the Tx path via the second optical switch.

A light source unit generates an optical signal out of a bend-insensitive (“BI”) optical fiber that is compliant with a desired encircled flux (“EF”). The unit includes a light source to generate an optical light signal and a conventional multimode optical fiber coupled to receive the optical light signal from the light source at a first end. A modal conditioner is arranged to condition the optical light signal propagating along different modes of the conventional multimode fiber. A first bend-insensitive (BI) multimode optical fiber has an input end, the input end of the first BI multimode optical fiber being coupled at a second end of the conventional multimode optical fiber to receive the conditioned optical light signal from the conventional multimode fiber. The output from the first BI multimode optical fiber outputs an optical signal having the desired EF.

Techniques are disclosed for aligning an optical transmitter with an optical receiver for a line-of- sight communications link, wherein the optical transmitter comprises a laser array emitter, the laser array emitter comprising a plurality of laser emitting regions, wherein each of a plurality of the laser emitting regions is configured to emit laser light in a different direction such that the laser array emitter is capable of emitting laser light in a plurality of different directions. The system can run produce emissions from different laser emitting regions until a laser emitting region that is in alignment with the optical receiver is found. This aligned laser emitting region can then be selected for use to optically communicate data from the optical transmitter to the optical receiver.

According to examples, a fiber-optic testing source for testing a multi-fiber cable may include a laser source communicatively coupled to a plurality of optical fibers connected to a connector. The fiber-optic testing source may include at least one photodiode communicatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of optical fibers by at least one corresponding splitter to implement a communication channel between the fiber-optic testing source and a fiber-optic testing receiver. The communication channel may be operable independently from a polarity associated with the multi-fiber cable. The fiber-optic testing receiver may include a plurality of photodiodes communicatively coupled to a plurality of optical fibers. The fiber-optic testing receiver may include at least one laser source communicatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of optical fibers by at least one corresponding splitter to implement the communication channel between the fiber-optic testing receiver and a fiber-optic testing source.

A test instrument for providing an optics troubleshooting technique of an optical transceiver is disclosed. The test instrument may comprise a processor and a memory, which when executed by the processor, performs the optics troubleshooting technique. The optics troubleshooting technique may include identifying a test signal from the optical transceiver. The optics troubleshooting technique may include determining signal power associated with the signal. The optics troubleshooting technique may further include applying one or more expert mode settings. In some examples, the one or more expert mode settings may be applied in a predefined order until an acceptable BER result is achieved over a predefined test period. In this way, test instrument may determine which of the one or more expert mode settings is responsible for the acceptable BER result.

An optical device is formed on an optical IC chip. The optical device includes: an optical device circuit; a first optical waveguide that is coupled to the a first grating coupler; a second grating coupler; a polarization rotator that is coupled to the first grating coupler; a polarization beam combiner or a polarization beam splitter that is coupled to the polarization rotator and to the second grating coupler; and a second optical waveguide that is coupled to the polarization beam combiner or to the polarization beam splitter. The first optical waveguide and the second optical waveguide respectively extend to an edge of the optical IC chip.

A semiconductor wafer includes a semiconductor chip that includes a photonic device. The semiconductor chip includes an optical fiber attachment region in which an optical fiber alignment structure is to be fabricated. The optical fiber alignment structure is not yet fabricated in the optical fiber attachment region. The semiconductor chip includes an in-plane fiber-to-chip optical coupler positioned at an edge of the optical fiber attachment region. The in-plane fiber-to-chip optical coupler is optically connected to the photonic device. A sacrificial optical structure is optically coupled to the in-plane fiber-to-chip optical coupler. The sacrificial optical structure includes an out-of-plane optical coupler configured to receive input light from a light source external to the semiconductor chip. At least a portion of the sacrificial optical structure extends through the optical fiber attachment region.

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for calculating a modal time delay and a modal bandwidth. For example, a method may include: transmitting an intensity-modulated light through a mode conditioner to generate a mode-conditioned intensity-modulated light; transmitting the mode-conditioned intensity-modulated light through an optical fiber under test (FUT) to excite a plurality of modes of the optical FUT; converting the mode-conditioned intensity-modulated light transmitted through the optical FUT into an electrical signal; measuring, based on the electrical signal, a transfer function or a complex transfer function of the optical FUT based on at least on one pair of the plurality of modes; calculating a modal delay time of the optical FUT based on the transfer function or the complex transfer function; and calculating a modal bandwidth of the optical FUT based on the modal delay time, the modal bandwidth being calculated for any given launch conditions of the plurality of modes.