A method includes illuminating a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) of a transmit aperture of a laser communication terminal and a PIC of a receive aperture of the laser communication terminal with multi-wavelength light, where each PIC includes multiple antenna elements forming an optical phased array (OPA). The method also includes determining light intensities of different wavelengths of the multi-wavelength light after the multi-wavelength light has passed through each PIC. The method further includes estimating phases of light associated with the antenna elements based on variations in the light intensities. In addition, the method includes adjusting one or more phase shifters of at least one of the PICs based on the estimated phases of light.

A method for providing spectral beam combining (SBC) including generating a plurality seed beams each having a central wavelength and a low fill factor profile, where the wavelength of all of the seed beams is different; amplifying the seed beams; causing the amplified beams to expand as they propagate so as to be converted from the low fill factor profile to a high fill factor profile where the high fill factor profile tapers to a lower value at a perimeter of each beam; causing a wavefront of the converted beams to flatten to provide a plurality of adjacent SBC beams having different wavelengths with minimal overlap and a minimal gap between the beams; collimating the SBC beams; and directing the collimated SBC beams onto an SBC element that spatially diffracts the individual beam wavelengths and directing the beams in the same direction as a combined output beam.

This disclosure relates to the layout of optical components included in a photonics integrated circuit (PIC) and the routing of optical traces between the optical components. The optical components can include light sources, a detector array, and a combiner. The optical components can be located in different regions of a substrate of the PIC, where the regions may include one or more types of active optical components, but also may exclude other types of active optical components. The optical traces can include a first plurality of optical traces for routing signals between light sources and a detector array, where the first plurality of optical traces can be located in an outer region of the substrate. The optical traces can also include a second plurality of optical traces for routing signals between the light sources and a combiner, where the second plurality of optical traces can be located in regions between banks of the light sources.

A system for parallel photonic computation, preferably including a source module, a plurality of input modulator units, an optical interference unit (OIU), and a plurality of detector banks. An OIU, preferably including one or more unitary matrix modules and optionally including a diagonal matrix module. An input modulator, which can include one or more waveguides, couplers, and/or modulator banks. A method for parallel photonic computing, preferably including encoding input vectors, performing a desired matrix operation, and receiving output values, and optionally including performing electronic computations and/or performing further optical computations based on the outputs, which can function to compute the results of a matrix operation on many different input vectors in parallel.

A device includes an array of light emitters configured to generate multiple light beams to form an image, the image having a field of view and a planar waveguide having an edge configured to receive multiple light beams from the array of light emitters, each light beam associated with a portion of the field of view. The device also includes a lens array comprising multiple lenses linearly extended to overlap an edge portion of the planar waveguide, the lenses optically coupling the light beams into the planar waveguide, and one or more output couplers in the planar waveguide configured to direct the light beams into an eyebox, wherein the eyebox forms an area that includes a pupil of a viewer of the image.

Optical telecommunication receivers and transmitters are described comprising dispersive elements and adjustable beam steering elements that are combined to provide optical grid tracking to adjust with very low power consumption to variations in the optical grid due to various changes, such as temperature fluctuations, age or other environmental or design changes. Thus, high bandwidth transmitters or receivers can be provides with low power consumption and/or low cost designs.

An optical sensor comprises foreoptics configured to receive an image signal, an image optic operable to focus the image signal, at least one focal plane array (FPA) configured to detect the image signal, and a jitter stabilization system. The jitter stabilization system can comprise a transmitter configured to transmit a jitter source signal to the foreoptics and a position sensor configured to receive a jitter return signal. The position sensor can be positioned at a shared focus with the at least one FPA. The optical sensor further comprises a diffraction grating operable to reflect and diffract at least a portion of the jitter source signal. The jitter return signal received at the position sensor comprises at least a portion of the reflected and diffracted jitter source signal.

Configurations for an optical device used for light splitting and wavelength locking are disclosed. The optical device may be a two by three coupler with a first waveguide coupled to a second waveguide, and a third waveguide coupled to the second waveguide. The first and third waveguides may receive input light and optically couple light to the second waveguide. The output signals of the first, second, and third waveguides may have a constant phase difference from one another over a broadband wavelength range, which may allow for phase unwrapping. By phase unwrapping the output signals over an FSR and performing further phase unwrapping over the broadband wavelength range, a continuous signal may be produced and used to sequentially lock each wavelength of light emitted by light sources over the broadband wavelength range.

A tunable element for an optical waveguide device, such as an Optical Phased Array (OPA), is described. Tunable element comprises three waveguide sections arranged such that light propagates through the first waveguide section, then through the second waveguide section and then through the third waveguide section, with light being either evanescently or directly coupled from one waveguide section to the next. The tunable element further comprises one or more resistive heating pad formed proximate to the second waveguide section. The first and third waveguide sections are formed from a first material and the second waveguide section is formed from a second, different material and the second material is more thermo-optically sensitive than the first material.

A scanner is provided with a plurality of elementary scanners each able to scan a different surface by means of a light beam. Each elementary scanner comprises a beam, for example a vibrating beam, on or in which a phase-controlled array is formed, intended to extract, at a face of the beam, a light beam able to be emitted by a light source. At least one beam of one of the elementary scanners, referred to as the first scanner, has, at rest, a deflection different from that of the beams of the other elementary scanners. This arrangement enables the first scanner to scan a surface, referred to the first surface, different from that scanned by the other elementary scanners. The optical scanner according to the present invention makes it possible to cover a relatively large surface while keeping appreciable compactness.