An optical modulator uses an optoelectronic phase comparator configured to provide, in the form of an electrical signal, a measure of a phase difference between two optical waves. The phase comparator includes an optical directional coupler having two coupled channels respectively defining two optical inputs for receiving the two optical waves to be compared. Two photodiodes are configured to respectively receive the optical output powers of the two channels of the directional coupler. An electrical circuit is configured to supply, as a measure of the optical phase shift, an electrical signal proportional to the difference between the electrical signals produced by the two photodiodes.

A silicon photonics substrate for a transceiver includes a substrate member comprised of a first silicon material, and, heterogeneously formed on the substrate member, receiver circuitry and transmitter circuitry. The receiver circuitry is comprised of a second silicon material and is configured to receive a coherent input signal, generate first and second oscillator signals based on light input from a laser diode, and detect a transverse electric (TE) mode signal and a transverse magnetic (TM) mode signal in the coherent input signal based on the first and second oscillator signals. The transmitter circuitry is comprised of the second or a third silicon material and is configured to transmit signals having the two or more possible modulation formats and modulate the light input from the laser diode in either a TE mode or a TM mode to generate a coherent output signal.

An optical module switch device includes a first serial-parallel-converter coupled to first signal-lines coupled to optical modules, and second signal-lines, a number of the second signal-lines being greater than the first signal-lines thereof, and configured to transmit/receive first signals at a first transmission-rate to/from the optical modules by using the first signal-lines, respectively, a second serial-parallel-converter coupled to second signal-lines coupled to the first serial-parallel-converter, and third signal-lines, a number of the third lines being greater than the second signal-lines thereof, and configured to transmit/receive second signals at a second transmission-rate lower than the first transmission-rate to/from the first serial-parallel-converter by using the second signal-lines, respectively, and a switch circuit coupled to the third signal-lines, and configured to transmit/receive third signals at a third transmission-rate lower than the second transmission-rate to/from the second serial-parallel-converter by using the third signal-lines, respectively, to perform routing processing based on the received third signals.

A silicon photonics substrate for a transceiver includes a substrate member comprised of a first silicon material, and, heterogeneously formed on the substrate member, receiver circuitry and transmitter circuitry. The receiver circuitry is comprised of a second silicon material and is configured to receive a coherent input signal, generate first and second oscillator signals based on light input from a laser diode, and detect a transverse electric (TE) mode signal and a transverse magnetic (TM) mode signal in the coherent input signal based on the first and second oscillator signals. The transmitter circuitry is comprised of the second or a third silicon material and is configured to transmit signals having the two or more possible modulation formats and modulate the light input from the laser diode in either a TE mode or a TM mode to generate a coherent output signal.

A system includes a transmitter configured to output an optical signal. The transmitter includes a seed laser, an optical array including a plurality of array elements, and a plurality of phase shifters in a multi-layer arrangement. The multi-layer arrangement includes a plurality of layers between the seed laser and the optical array, wherein a first layer of the plurality of layers transmits light to a second layer of the plurality of layers. The first layer has fewer phase shifters than the second layer. The multi-layer arrangement also includes a plurality of branches wherein each branch includes a phase shifter from each of the plurality of layers connected in series between the seed laser and one of the plurality of array elements. Each phase shifter is configured to shift the optical signal incrementally to amass a total phase shift for each of the plurality of array elements.

Systems and methods that implement dynamically-switchable optical cables are described. One method includes a first terminal receiving one or more transmit high-speed electrical signals and one or more first low-speed electrical signals by a first terminal from a communication signal source. The first terminal may perform a first analysis on the first low-speed electrical signals, and determine a transmission direction based on the first analysis. A second terminal may receive or more second low-speed electrical signals by a second terminal from a communication signal sink. The second terminal may perform a second analysis the second low-speed electrical signals, and determine a reception direction based on the second analysis. The first terminal may convert the transmit high-speed electrical signals into high-speed optical signals, and transmit the high-speed optical signals to the second terminal via an optical communication channel.

Dynamically-switchable optical cables are described. One aspect includes a first terminal and a second terminal, each including an HDMI high-speed electrical interface. Each terminal may include a hot-plug signal analysis unit configured to receive one or more HDMI hot-plug detect signals, analyze the HDMI hot-plug detect signals, and determine if the associated terminal is connected to one of an HDMI signal source or an HDMI signal sink. Each terminal may include a signal transmitting unit electrically connected to the respective HDMI high-speed electrical interface, and a signal receiving unit electrically connected to the respective HDMI high-speed electrical interface. The optical cable may include a first optical communication channel connecting an output of the first signal transmitting unit to an input of the second signal receiving unit, and a second optical communication channel connecting an output of the second signal transmitting unit to an input of the first signal receiving unit.

An optical modulator includes: an encoder that encodes an input data signal; a branch circuit that branches an optical signal into first and second optical signals; a first arm through which the first optical signal branched at the branch circuit passes; a first phase shifter group on the first upper arm that adjusts a phase shift amount of the first optical signal that passes through the first arm; a second arm through which the second optical signal branched at the branch circuit passes; a second phase shifter group on the second arm that adjusts a phase shift amount of the second optical signal that passes through the second arm such that a sign of the phase shift amount of the second optical signal becomes opposite to a sign of the phase shift amount of the first optical signal; and a multiplexing circuit that multiplexes the first optical signal.

An optical modulation method and device capable of stably generating an optical signal including a zero-intensity state among four states required for phase-time coding scheme by a nested modulator, is provided. A controller controls the phase difference generated by the phase shifter and an intensity and a magnitude of phase modulation provided by each of the first modulator and the second modulator to change an output lightwave of the nested modulator between four constellation points (S1-S4) on IQ plane. A first constellation point (S4) of the four constellation points has an intensity of 0, a second constellation point (S1) has a relative intensity of 1, each of a third constellation point (S2) and a fourth constellation point (S3) has a relative intensity ranging from 0 to 1, and the third and the fourth constellation points has a phase difference of 90 degrees.

An optical network component and method are herein described. The system and method include determining a first power of an optical modulator using a first photodetector and a second power of the transmitter using a second photodetector, determining a contrast ratio based on the first power and the second power, and determining a modulation loss based on the contrast ratio.