An integrated optical beam steering device includes a planar Luneburg lens that collimates beams from different inputs in different directions within the lens plane. It also includes a curved (e.g., semi-circular or arced) grating coupler that diffracts the collimated beams out of the lens plane. The beams can be steered in the plane by controlling the direction along which the lens is illuminated and out of the plane by varying the beam wavelength. Unlike other beam steering devices, this device can operate over an extremely wide field of view—up to 180°—without any aberrations off boresight. In other words, the beam quality is uniform in all directions, unlike with aplanatic lenses, thanks to the circular symmetry of the planar Luneburg lens, which may be composed of subwavelength features. The lens is also robust to misalignment and fabrication imperfections and can be made using standard CMOS processes.

A LiDAR system has a field of view and includes a polarization-based waveguide splitter. The splitter includes a first splitter port, a second splitter port and a common splitter port. A laser is optically coupled to the first splitter port via a single-polarization waveguide. An objective lens optically couples each optical emitter of an array of optical emitters to a respective unique portion of the field of view. An optical switching network is coupled via respective dual-polarization waveguides between the common splitter port and the array of optical emitters. An optical receiver is optically coupled to the second splitter port via a dual-polarization waveguide and is configured to receive light reflected from the field of view. A controller, coupled to the optical switching network, is configured to cause the optical switching network to route light from the laser to a sequence of the optical emitters according to a temporal pattern.

Embodiments include an optical apparatus and associated method of assembling. The optical apparatus comprises a substrate defining a first surface and a channel formed relative thereto, the substrate including one or more waveguides extending to a sidewall partly defining the channel, a plurality of first electrical contacts formed on the first surface. The optical apparatus further comprises a carrier member defining a second surface and at least a third surface, the second surface coupled with the first surface of the substrate. The optical apparatus further at least one optical component coupled with the second surface and at least partly disposed within the channel, wherein the at least one optical component is optically coupled with the one or more waveguides and electrically connected with the first electrical contacts via a plurality of second electrical contacts at the third surface of the carrier member.

An optical light package includes an optical output lens, an optical filter located thereunder and between the output lens and LEDS, a tray of LEDs arrayed on a stage mounted on a linear comb based MEMS device that is distributed in such a way that the stage is movable, and a driver that controls movement of the stage.

In some embodiments, optical systems with a reflector and a lens proximate a light output opening of the reflector provide light output with high spatial uniformity and high efficiency. The reflectors are shaped to provide substantially angularly uniform light output and the lens is configured to transform this angularly uniform light output into spatially uniform light output. The light output may be directed into a spatial light modulator, which modulates the light to project an image.

Techniques and mechanisms for optically coupling a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip to an optical fiber via a planar optical waveguide structure. In an embodiment, a PIC chip comprises integrated circuitry, photonic waveguides, and integrated edge-oriented couplers (IECs) which are coupled to the integrated circuitry via the photonic waveguides. The PIC chip forms respective divergent lens surfaces of the IECs, which are each at a respective terminus of a corresponding one of the photonic waveguides. A planar optical waveguide structure, which is adjacent to the IECs, comprises a core which is optically coupled between the PIC chip and an array of optical fibers. In another embodiment, an edge of the PIC forms a stepped structure, wherein an upper portion of the stepped structure comprises the plurality of coplanar IECs, and a lower portion of the stepped structure extends past the plurality of coplanar IECs.

Techniques and mechanisms for facilitating horizontal communication with a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip, and a lens structure which is optically coupled thereto. In an embodiment, a PIC chip comprises integrated circuitry, photonic waveguides, and integrated edge-oriented couplers (IECs) which are coupled to the integrated circuitry via the photonic waveguides. The PIC chip forms respective first divergent lens surfaces of the IECs, which are each at a respective terminus of a corresponding one of the photonic waveguides. A lens structure, which is adjacent to the IECs, comprises a second divergent lens surface having an orientation which is substantially orthogonal to the respective orientations of the first divergent lens surfaces. In another embodiment, an edge of the PIC chip forms one or more recess structures, and the lens structure comprises one or more tenon portions which each extends into a respective recess structure of the one or more recess structures.

Optical beam forming at the inputs/outputs of a photonic chip and to the spectral broadening of the light coupled to the chip. The photonic chip comprises an optical waveguide layer supported on a substrate. The chip includes an optical waveguide structure made of silicon and a coupling surface grating. The photonic chip has a front face on the side facing the coupling surface grating and a rear face on the side facing the substrate. A reflecting collimation structure is integrated in the rear face to modify the mode size of an incident light beam. The coupling surface grating is designed to receive light from the optical waveguide structure and to form a light beam directed to the reflecting collimation structure. The invention further relates to the method for producing such a chip.

An optical interconnect structure including a base substrate, an optical waveguide, a first reflector, a second reflector, a dielectric layer, a first lens, and a second lens is provided. The optical waveguide is embedded in the base substrate. The optical waveguide includes a first end portion and a second end portion opposite to the first end portion. The first reflector is disposed between the base substrate and the first end portion of the optical waveguide. The second reflector is disposed between the base substrate and the second end portion of the optical waveguide. The dielectric layer covers the base substrate and the optical waveguide. The first lens is disposed on the dielectric layer and located above the first end portion of the optical waveguide. The second lens is disposed on the dielectric layer and located above the second end portion of the optical waveguide.

A photonic integrated circuit (PIC)-based imager blade includes a number of PIC imager units stacked on top of one another. Each PIC imager unit includes a PIC coupled, at a first end and a second end, to a first set of lenslets and a second set of lenslets, respectively. An electronic integrated circuit (EIC) is coupled to the PIC. Pairs of lenslets of the first and second set of lenslets are optically coupled to respective waveguides embedded in the PIC. The PIC imager units have different lengths, and longer PIC imager units include larger lenslets.