A device comprises three elements, realized as photonic integrated circuits. The first element comprises a tunable semiconductor laser emitting light at a laser output wavelength. The second element comprises a wavelength selective element, coupled to the first element. The third element comprises N photodetectors where N>=2, coupled to the second element. Light coupled into the second element from the first element is de-multiplexed by the wavelength selective element such that a ratio of light power coupled from the second element into one of the N photodetectors to light power coupled from the second element into another one of the N photodetectors is a function of the laser output wavelength. The responses of the N photodetectors facilitate at least one of measurement and control of the laser output wavelength.

Described are various configurations of integrated wavelength lockers including asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers (AMZIs) and associated detectors. Various embodiments provide improved wavelength-locking accuracy by using an active tuning element in the AMZI to achieve an operational position with high locking sensitivity, a coherent receiver to reduce the frequency-dependence of the locking sensitivity, and/or a temperature sensor and/or strain gauge to computationally correct for the effect of temperature or strain changes.

Described are various configurations of integrated wavelength lockers including asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers (AMZIs) and associated detectors. Various embodiments provide improved wavelength-locking accuracy by using an active tuning element in the AMZI to achieve an operational position with high locking sensitivity, a coherent receiver to reduce the frequency-dependence of the locking sensitivity, and/or a temperature sensor and/or strain gauge to computationally correct for the effect of temperature or strain changes.

Chip technology for fabricating ultra-low-noise, high-stability optical devices for use in an optical atomic clock system. The proposed chip technology uses diamond material to form stabilized lasers, frequency references, and passive laser cavity structures. By utilizing the exceptional thermal conductivity of diamond and other optical and dielectric properties, a specific temperature range of operation is proposed that allows significant reduction of the total energy required to generate and maintain an ultra-stable laser. In each configuration, the diamond-based chip is cooled by a cryogenic cooler containing liquid nitrogen.

An integrated optical linewidth reduction system based on optical feedback and a low-speed electronic control loop to control the optical feedback. Light is tapped and reflected back to the laser with an amplitude, phase or both amplitude and phase adjustment such that the linewidth of the laser is lower than the free-running laser linewidth. The amplitude of the feedback signal may be controlled using an optical attenuator. The phase of the feedback signal may be controlled using a phase shifter. The amplitude of the optical feedback may be monitored by means of a filter and a photodetector, or just a photodetector. The amplitude and/or phase of the optical feedback is monitored by means of a frequency/phase noise discriminator. The phase shifter can be an endless phase shifter

Methods for driving a tunable laser with integrated tuning elements are disclosed. The methods can include modulating the tuning current and laser injection current such that the laser emission wavelength and output power are independently controllable. In some examples, the tuning current and laser injection current are modulated simultaneously and a wider tuning range can result. In some examples, one or both of these currents is sinusoidally modulated. In some examples, a constant output power can be achieved while tuning the emission wavelength. In some examples, the output power and tuning can follow a linear relationship. In some examples, injection current and tuning element drive waveforms necessary to achieve targeted output power and tuning waveforms can be achieved through optimization based on goodness of fit values between the targeted and actual output power and tuning waveforms.

An apparatus and method for calculating the frequency of the light.

An apparatus and method for calculating the frequency of the light.

Variable optical attenuator assisted control of optical devices is provided. A device comprises: an uncooled laser and ring resonator modulator, an optical waveguide configured convey an optical signal of the laser from an input to an output, a heater that heats the ring resonator modulator, a variable optical attenuator that attenuates the optical signal on the optical waveguide, one or more power monitors and a controller. The controller is configured to: in response to determining that one or more of: heater power overhead is unavailable to reduce heater power for laser wavelength tracking; and the heater power is at or below a given lower heater power; and determining that that laser current is increased to assist with ring resonator modulator control for the laser wavelength tracking: control, using the one or more power monitors, attenuation of the VOA to control the output power into a target output power range.

A laser device includes a gain medium including a facet. The laser device includes a metasurface including a plurality of supercells. The metasurface is disposed on a substrate and configured to reflect and focus a first portion of light from the facet back to the gain medium as a feedback beam. The metasurface can be configured to reflect a second portion of the light as an output beam at an angle that is nonzero relative to a direction of the feedback beam. The metasurface can be configured to transmit a second portion of the light as an output beam through the metasurface away from the facet. The emission wavelength of the laser device can be tuned by translating the metasurface. The output beam can be collimated towards a fixed direction while tuning the wavelength.