A semiconductor optical amplifier having a 3 dB coupler is described for use in providing an amplified optical data signal to a photonic chip. The semiconductor optical amplifier includes an amplifier die having a signal coupling facet, waveguides terminating at the signal coupling facet, a 3 dB coupler, and a reflector. The 3 dB coupler is optically coupled between the signal coupling facet and the reflector.

Disclosed are techniques and amplifier stages that include wave division multiplexers, semiconductor optical amplifiers and wave division demultiplexers that amplify optical signals. An input optical signal having a first bandwidth is partitioned into a plurality of subband optical signals by thin film filters tuned to a selected bandwidth that is less than the first bandwidth. Each of the plurality of subband optical signals has a bandwidth that is a portion of the first bandwidth. Each subband optical signal is input into a semiconductor optical amplifier that is tuned to the respective portion of the first bandwidth that corresponds to the subband optical signal. The combination of the partitioned input optical signal and tuned semiconductor optical amplifiers provides improved optical signal transmission performance by reducing polarization dependent gain.

Described herein are photonic integrated circuits (PICs) comprising a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) to output a signal comprising a plurality of wavelengths, a sensor to detect data associated with a power value of each wavelength of the output signal of the SOA, a filter to filter power values of one or more of the wavelengths of the output signal of the SOA, and control circuitry to control the filter to reduce a difference between a pre-determined power value of each filtered wavelength of the output signal of the SOA and the detected power value of each filtered wavelength of the output signal of the SOA.

Disclosed herein are methods, devices, and system for beam forming and beam steering within ultra-wideband, wireless optical communication devices and systems. According to one embodiment, a free space optical (FSO) communication apparatus is disclosed. The FSO communication apparatus includes an array of optical sources wherein each optical source of the array of optical sources is individually controllable and each optical source configured to have a transient response time of less than 500 picoseconds (ps).

Disclosed herein are methods, devices, and system for beam forming and beam steering within ultra-wideband, wireless optical communication devices and systems. According to one embodiment, a free space optical (FSO) communication apparatus is disclosed. The FSO communication apparatus includes a semiconductor optical device configured to have a transient response time of less than 500 picoseconds (ps), a lens, and a first band select filter.

Optical transmitters, receivers, and transceivers implemented using a plurality of surface-coupled optical devices that can be manufactured on the same planar substrate and then post-processed to provide some of the devices with different respective partially transparent front mirrors compatible with and/or customized for different respective optical functions. When appropriately electrically biased and driven, different subsets of such devices can operate as lasers, optical modulators, optical amplifiers, and photodetectors, respectively. In this manner, an integrated array of such devices can be customized to provide the optical functions needed for the intended product. For example, an optical transmitter can be constructed using an integrated array that comprises three surface-coupled optical devices configured to operate as a laser, an optical modulator, and an optical amplifier, respectively. An optical receiver can be constructed using an integrated array that comprises two surface-coupled optical devices configured to operate as an optical amplifier and a photodetector, respectively.

Systems and methods of undersea optical communication are provided. An undersea optical amplifier assembly can include a water-tight housing and a photonic integrated circuit disposed within the housing. The photonic integrated circuit includes a plurality of optical fiber inputs, each configured to receive an end of a respective optical fiber of a first fiber optic cable bundle, and a plurality of optical fiber outputs. Each optical fiber output corresponds to a respective optical fiber input to form a fiber optic input-output pair, and is configured to receive an end of a respective optical fiber of a second fiber optic cable bundle. The photonic integrated circuit includes an optical amplifier optically coupled to each respective fiber optic input-output pair. The housing includes a first water-tight access port configured to receive the first fiber optic cable bundle, and a second water-tight access port configured to receive a second fiber optic cable bundle.

Disclosed are techniques and amplifier stages that include wave division multiplexers, semiconductor optical amplifiers and wave division demultiplexers that amplify optical signals. An input optical signal having a first bandwidth is partitioned into a plurality of subband optical signals by thin film filters tuned to a selected bandwidth that is less than the first bandwidth. Each of the plurality of subband optical signals has a bandwidth that is a portion of the first bandwidth. Each subband optical signal is input into a semiconductor optical amplifier that is tuned to the respective portion of the first bandwidth that corresponds to the subband optical signal. The combination of the partitioned input optical signal and tuned semiconductor optical amplifiers provides improved optical signal transmission performance by reducing polarization dependent gain.

An optical receiver includes an optical amplifier that amplifies a received optical signal containing multiple wavelengths, a monitor circuit that monitors light intensities of the demultiplexed optical signal, a processor, and a memory having information representing a relationship between a total incident light intensity of the optical signal incident onto the optical amplifier and gains of the optical amplifier for the respective wavelengths. The processor repeats first calculation for determining the gains of the respective wavelengths from the memory, based on a drive current for driving the optical amplifier and an estimation value of the total incident light intensity of the optical signal, second calculation for calculating the incident light intensities of the respective wavelengths of the optical signal based on the gains and the monitored light intensities, and third calculation to calculate the total incident light intensity of the optical signal, until the total incident light intensity converges.

Phase modulation of an output optical signal from a phase-sensitive amplifier may be used to perform phase adjustment for optimal phase-sensitive amplification. Specifically, when the optical pump is phase modulated to suppress SBS, a second phase modulator may be used to counter dither the first phase modulator. Both phase modulators may be controlled by a phase shifter. Intensity modulation of the output optical signal may also be performed to reduce noise. In this manner, the OSNR of the output optical signal may be increased.