Provided are a small-sized optical coupling system and an optical communication device using the optical coupling system. An optical coupling system includes a liquid crystal optical element, and a photonic device having a plurality of photonic chips, and couples an optical fiber to the photonic device, in which each of the photonic chips includes a grating coupler, the liquid crystal optical element separates incident signal light depending on at least one of polarization or a wavelength to emit light in different directions, and each separated signal light component is incident into the grating coupler of the corresponding photonic chip.

Disclosed is a compact on-chip polarization splitter-rotator based on a Bezier curve gradient waveguide. The Bezier curve gradient waveguide structure is a standard SOI-based wafer structure, comprising a substrate, of which the bottom layer is buried with oxide (SiO.sub.2), and the top is composed of silicon waveguides, including a common output waveguide and a specially-structured waveguide containing Bessel curve boundaries. The common waveguide structure is composed of a cuboid waveguide, and the specially-structured waveguide is composed of an input region, an output region, a width-gradient waveguide (Bezier curve gradient structure) and a coupling region, where a width of the gradient waveguide is determined by a third-order Bezier curve, and the coupling region is composed of two asymmetrical waveguide regions.

An electro-optic combiner includes a polarization splitter and rotator (PSR) that directs a portion of incoming light having a first polarization through a first optical waveguide (OW). The PSR rotates a portion of the incoming light having a second polarization to the first polarization to provide polarization-rotated light. The PSR directs the polarization-rotated light through a second OW. Each of the first and second OW's has a respective combiner section. The first and second OW combiner sections extend parallel to each other and have opposite light propagation directions. A plurality of ring resonators is disposed between the combiner sections of the first and second OW's and within an evanescent optically coupling distance of both the first and second OW's. Each of ring resonators operates at a respective resonant wavelength to optically couple light from the combiner section of the first OW into the combiner section of the second OW.

Example embodiments include an optical assembly for an optical interrogation system having a single core or a multicore sensing fiber, a measurement fiber to couple light into the sensing fiber, and a reference fiber arranged with the measurement fiber as part of an optical interferometer. A beam splitter combines light from the sensing fiber and with light from the reference fiber. A polarization beam splitting prism separates the combined light into first polarized light and second polarized light that is orthogonal to the first polarized light. The optical assembly can substantially reduce the size, complexity, or cost associated with the traditional optical components in an optical interrogation system that it replaces. Other example optical assemblies are described. Embodiments describe optical interrogation systems using the example optical assemblies.

An asymmetric adiabatic polarization beam splitter integrated with a waveband filtering splitter unit and a polarization filtering splitter unit is capable of being packaged to form an integrated optical waveguide filtering chip. The waveband filtering splitter unit utilizes an adiabatic optical waveguide structure and stimulated Raman adiabatic passage on an optical waveguide to split the energy of light sources of different bands to different spaces when the light energy is performed with an adiabatic process. The polarization filtering splitter unit utilizes the two orthogonal polarization modes of an optical waveguide with birefringence to achieve a polarization-dependent mode splitting effect based on an adiabatic theory. The asymmetric adiabatic polarization beam splitter realizes the characteristics of integration and high process tolerance, and improves the mass production feasibility.

Example embodiments include an optical assembly for an optical interrogation system having a single core or a multicore sensing fiber, a measurement fiber to couple light into the sensing fiber, and a reference fiber arranged with the measurement fiber as part of an optical interferometer. A beam splitter combines light from the sensing fiber and with light from the reference fiber. A polarization beam splitting prism separates the combined light into first polarized light and second polarized light that is orthogonal to the first polarized light. The optical assembly can substantially reduce the size, complexity, or cost associated with the traditional optical components in an optical interrogation system that it replaces. Other example optical assemblies are described. Embodiments describe optical interrogation systems using the example optical assemblies.

Embodiments of the disclosure provide an optical polarizer with a varying vertical thickness, and methods to form the same. An optical polarizer according to the disclosure may include a first waveguide core over a semiconductor substrate. A first cladding material is on at least an upper surface of the first waveguide core. A second waveguide core over the first waveguide core and above the first cladding material. The second waveguide core includes a first segment having a vertical thickness that varies along a length of the first segment. A second cladding material is at least partially surrounding the second waveguide core. Transfer of one of a transverse electric (TE) mode signal and a transverse magnetic (TM) mode signal from the first waveguide core to the second waveguide core occurs between the first segment of the second waveguide core and the first waveguide core.

An electro-optic combiner includes a polarization splitter and rotator (PSR) that directs a portion of incoming light having a first polarization through a first optical waveguide (OW). The PSR rotates a portion of the incoming light having a second polarization to the first polarization to provide polarization-rotated light. The PSR directs the polarization-rotated light through a second OW. Each of the first and second OW's has a respective combiner section. The first and second OW combiner sections extend parallel to each other and have opposite light propagation directions. A plurality of ring resonators is disposed between the combiner sections of the first and second OW's and within an evanescent optically coupling distance of both the first and second OW's. Each of ring resonators operates at a respective resonant wavelength to optically couple light from the combiner section of the first OW into the combiner section of the second OW.

Selectively configurable photonic logic gates, systems, and methods are provided. In at least one example, a photonic logic gate includes first and second inputs. The first input is configured to receive a first light having a first intensity and a first polarization. The second input is configured to receive a second light having a second intensity and a second polarization. The photonic logic gate is configured to generate a logical output based on the first and second intensities and the first and second polarizations of the first and second lights.

A photonic polarization splitter rotator (PSR) includes a substrate, a first optical waveguide disposed in the substrate on a first layer, the first optical waveguide having a curved portion between a first end of the first optical waveguide and a second end of the first optical waveguide, and a second optical waveguide disposed in the substrate on a second layer, above the first layer, the second optical waveguide having a substantially rectangular shape and longitudinally arranged between the first end of the first optical waveguide and the second end of the first optical waveguide.