The LIDAR chip includes a utility waveguide that guides an outgoing LIDAR signal to a facet through which the outgoing LIDAR signal exits from the chip. The chip also includes a control branch that removes a portion of the outgoing LIDAR signal from the utility waveguide. The control branch includes a control light sensor that receives a light signal that includes light from the removed portion of the outgoing LIDAR signal. The chip also includes a data branch that removes a second portion of the outgoing LIDAR signal from the utility waveguide. The data branch includes a light-combining component that combines a reference light signal that includes light from the second portion of the outgoing LIDAR signal with a comparative light signal that includes light that was reflected off an object located off of the chip.

To provide an optical waveguide device in which damage to a thin plate, particularly damage to an optical waveguide, is prevented. An optical waveguide device includes: a thin plate 1 that has an electro-optic effect and that has a thickness of equal to or thinner than 10 μm, an optical waveguide 2 being formed on the thin plate; and a reinforcing substrate that supports the thin plate, in which the thin plate 1 has a rectangular shape in a plan view, a dissimilar element layer 3, in which an element different from an element constituting the thin plate is disposed in the thin plate, is formed on at least a portion between an outer periphery of the thin plate and the optical waveguide 2, and a total length over which a cleavage plane of the thin plate traverses a region where the dissimilar element layer is formed, is equal to or longer than 5% of a width of the thin plate in a short side direction.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide etch-variation tolerant optical coupling components and processes for making the same. An etch-variation tolerant geometry is determined for at least one waveguide of an optical coupling component (e.g., a directional coupler). The geometry is optimized such that each fabricated instance of an optical component design with the etch-variation tolerant geometry has substantially the same coupling ratio at any etch depth between a shallow etch depth and a deep etch depth.

There are provided: a plurality of optical elements for handling light having different wavelengths; a plurality of collimating lenses individually provided in the optical elements, each of the collimating lenses having a first end facing a main surface of one of the optical elements; an optical multi-demultiplexer using reflection of light caused by a spatial optical system, the optical multi-demultiplexer having a first end facing a second end of each of the collimating lenses; a coupling lens having a first end facing a second end of the optical multi-demultiplexer; an SMF having one end facing a second end of the coupling lens; and an optical block, which is transparent, provided on an optical path between each of the collimating lenses and the optical multi-demultiplexer, the optical path having a small number of reflections in the optical multi-demultiplexer.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide etch-variation tolerant optical coupling components and processes for making the same. An etch-variation tolerant geometry is determined for at least one waveguide of an optical coupling component (e.g., a directional coupler). The geometry is optimized such that each fabricated instance of an optical component design with the etch-variation tolerant geometry has substantially the same coupling ratio at any etch depth between a shallow etch depth and a deep etch depth.

An integrated mode converter and multiplexer (/demultiplexer) is disclosed, which combines a multimode interference coupler (100), at least one phase-shifter (200) and a symmetrical Y-junction (300). The dispersion of the multimode interference coupler (100) is engineered through subwavelength structures in order to achieve a very wide bandwidth. Several phase-shifter (200) topologies for further bandwidth enhancement are disclosed, as well as architectures for multiplexing a greater number of optical modes.

The optical fibers disclosed is a single mode optical fiber comprising a core region and a cladding region surrounding and directly adjacent to the core region. The core region can have a radius r.sub.1 in a range from 3 μm to 7 μm and a relative refractive index profile Δ.sub.1 having a maximum relative refractive index Δ.sub.1max in the range from 0.25% to 0.50%. The cladding region can include a first outer cladding region and a second outer cladding region surrounding and directly adjacent to the first outer cladding region. The first outer cladding region can have a radius r.sub.4a. The second outer cladding region can have a radius r.sub.4b less than or equal to 45 μm and comprising silica based glass doped with titania.

The optical fibers disclosed is a single mode optical fiber comprising a core region and a cladding region surrounding and directly adjacent to the core region. The core region can have a radius r.sub.1 in a range from 3 μm to 7 μm and a relative refractive index profile Δ.sub.1 having a maximum relative refractive index Δ.sub.1max in the range from 0.25% to 0.50%. The cladding region can include a first outer cladding region and a second outer cladding region surrounding and directly adjacent to the first outer cladding region. The first outer cladding region can have a radius r.sub.4a. The second outer cladding region can have a radius rob less than or equal to 45 μm and comprising silica based glass doped with titania.

A sensor system includes an optical fiber. A set of wavelength shift sensors are inscribed on the optical fiber. The set includes at least one first wavelength shift sensor configured to reflect a first wavelength band of input light as a first optical output signal. The first wavelength shift sensor has a first value of an optical characteristic that modifies intensity of the first optical output signal. At least one second wavelength shift sensor is configured to reflect a second wavelength band of input light as a second optical output signal. The second wavelength shift sensor has a second value of the optical characteristic that modifies intensity of the second optical output signal, wherein the second value is different from the first value.

An optical waveguide component is configured to have a dual structure in which a core region of the first optical waveguide is contained within the core region of the second optical waveguide in a cross-section perpendicular to the length direction of the optical waveguide. The refractive index of a first material of the core of the first optical waveguide is greater than a refractive index of a second material of the core of a second optical waveguide. The refractive index of a second material constituting the core of a second optical waveguide is greater than a refractive index of a third material constituting cladding of the second optical waveguide. The center height of the core of the first optical waveguide and the center height of the core of the second optical waveguide are aligned, which solves connectivity problems caused by worsened butt coupling efficiency, and incomplete adiabatic coupling in an SSC structure of prior art.