A system comprises a first optical component comprising a component body; at least a first waveguide formed in the component body, wherein the first waveguide is substantially mirror-symmetrical in shape relative to a line at or near the center of the first waveguide; and a self-alignment feature configured to assist in optically-coupling the first waveguide with a second waveguide located outside of the component body.

A method for aligning the projection of a first light source with an in-coupler of a waveguide, the method including supplying a secondary light source through an optical path of the waveguide to exit at the in-coupler of the waveguide as an exit light; determining the concentricity of the exit light with respect to the first light source; and improving the concentricity of the exit light with respect to the first light source by adjusting the positioning of the first light source such that the exit light becomes concentric with the projection of the first light source.

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.

Systems and methods for coupling photonic integrated subcircuits are described herein. The example system can include a first cartridge (4702) including a first photonic integrated subcircuit (4706) and a first alignment feature (4720, 4722). The system can include a second cartridge (4704) including a second photonic integrated subcircuit (4708) and a second alignment feature (4724, 4726), where the first alignment feature (4720, 4722) and the second alignment feature (4724, 4726) can be configured to enable alignment between the first photonic integrated subcircuit (4706) and the second photonic integrated subcircuit (4708). When the first photonic integrated subcircuit (4706) is aligned to the second photonic integrated subcircuit (4708), a first light path of the first photonic integrated subcircuit (4706) can be optically coupled to a second light path of the second photonic integrated subcircuit (4708).

Disclosed are an integrated optical assembly structure with an isolator and a processing method therefor. The structure comprises a front metal cover, a ceramic sleeve, a pressing block, a ceramic plug core and an isolator chip, wherein the ceramic sleeve is disposed inside the front metal cover; one end of the ceramic plug core is disposed inside the ceramic sleeve and the other end thereof is fixed in the pressing block; the pressing block has a plug core positioning hole and a chip accommodating hole; the chip accommodating hole has at least two positioning corners; and the isolator chip having magnetism itself is installed in the chip accommodating hole and is positioned and fixed via the positioning corners.

An optical receptacle connector includes a receptacle housing having housing walls defining a contact cavity and an optical cavity. The receptacle housing includes an upper wall and a lower wall at a front of the receptacle housing defining a card slot receiving a mating edge of an optical module circuit board of a pluggable optical generator module. The upper wall includes an upper wall opening above the card slot. A contact assembly having receptacle contacts is received in the contact cavity to supply power to the pluggable optical generator module to operate a light source of the pluggable optical generator module. A receive optical connector is coupled to the receptacle housing above the upper wall opening and mated with a supply optical connector of the pluggable optical generator module to receive optical signals from the supply optical connector.

An interposer PIC structure having a fanout waveguide structure is described for which the patterned planar waveguides of the fanout waveguide structure is formed from a same hard mask patterning step comprising a patterned area for a lateral alignment aid used to align the linearly configured cores of a multicore fiber with a terminal end of the fanout waveguide structure. Areas of the same patterned hard mask may optionally include one or more fiducials and one or more alignment pillars for aligning mounted devices onto the PIC structure. Interposer PIC assemblies are described comprising the interposer PIC structure, multicore fibers having linearly configured arrays of cores, and devices mounted or otherwise formed on the interposer PIC structure. Methods of forming the interposer PIC structures and assemblies are also disclosed. The linearly configured cores of a multicore fiber are aligned in interposer PIC assemblies with a fanout waveguide structure formed from the planar waveguide layer on an interposer PIC structure to facilitate optical signal transfer between the cores of the multicore fiber and planar waveguides formed on the interposer and subsequently to devices mounted on the interposer and coupled to the patterned planar waveguides on the interposer.

A first photonic die has a first coupling edge and a first die surface, and comprises: a first waveguide extending in proximity to the first coupling edge; a portion of the first die surface forming an alignment edge substantially parallel to the first waveguide; and a first alignment feature etched into or formed adjacent to the first coupling edge. A second photonic die has a second coupling edge and a second die surface, and comprises: a second waveguide extending in proximity to the second coupling edge; a portion of the second die surface configured to form a receptacle sized to constrain a position of the alignment edge; and a second alignment feature etched into or formed adjacent to the second coupling edge and configured to enable alignment with the first alignment feature when the first photonic die and the second photonic die are substantially aligned with each other.

A system for passive alignment of fibers to an interface of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) includes an input frame, an actuator, and an output frame. The actuator arranged to apply force along a force axis to the input frame. The output frame including a tip for picking up a plate and transferring the force thereto, the output frame being connected to the input frame such that the output frame may tilt relative to the input frame and the output frame is elastically biased relative to the input frame into a position wherein the tip is aligned on the force axis.

A method of aligning a first and a second structure, the first structure comprising one or more first surface relief features and a channel system communicating with a surface of the first structure at one or more of the first surface relief features, the second structure comprising one or more second surface relief features shaped complementarily to the first surface relief features; the method comprising: generating suction in the channel system to draw the first and second structures together in a drawing direction; wherein, when the first and second structures are drawn together, the interaction between one or more of the first surface relief features and one or more of the second surface relief features aligns the structures in a plane perpendicular to the drawing direction such that the first and second surface relief features mate.