An optical switch device includes a first semiconductor structure configured to operate as a first waveguide and a second semiconductor structure configured to operate as a second waveguide. The second semiconductor structure is located above or below the first semiconductor structure and separated from the first semiconductor structure. The second semiconductor structure includes a first portion having a first width and a second portion having a width different from the first width and located on the first portion. The first portion is located between a first doped region and a second doped region.

The present invention discloses a directional photonic coupler (1) with independent tuning of the coupling factor and phase difference. The coupler comprises: two waveguides (4, 5), with respective propagation constants “β.sub.1, β.sub.2”, on which phase shifters (6, 7) configured to modify the propagation coefficients are located. Both phase shifters are configured such that, by independent modification (differential or unique) of the propagation coefficients, the power coupling factor (K) between an input signal (2a or 2b) and the output signals (3b and 3a) is tuned, and by equal and simultaneous modification of the propagation coefficients, the common phase difference of the optical output signals (3 a, 3b) is tuned. A third phase shifter (15) can be used to retune the phase difference at the input/output of one of the waveguides. The coupler is of particular interest in PIC circuits, coupled resonators, Mach-Zehnder interferometers and mesh structures.

Embodiments of an optical signal copier and an optical parametric amplifier are disclosed herein, which are applied to the communications field. In the embodiments, the optical signal copier is included in the optical parametric amplifier, which generates an invalid signal in a process of transmitting signal light and pump light. The optical signal copier may separate the signal light from the invalid signal and then transmit the signal light to a signal processing module. In this way, the signal processing module may directly process the signal light that does not include the invalid signal, the invalid signal does not occupy transmission bandwidth of the optical parametric amplifier, and the effective transmission bandwidth of the optical parametric amplifier is relatively large.

A LIDAR system includes a demultiplexer that separates an outgoing LIDAR signal into multiple LIDAR output signals that each carries a different channel and the different channels are each at a different wavelength. The system also includes a beam distributor that receives each of the LIDAR output signals. The beam distributor directs the received LIDAR output signals such that different LIDAR output signals travel away from the beam distributor in different directions.

An approach for realizing low-power, high-port-count optical switching systems, such as OXCs, WXCs, and ROADMs is presented. Optical switching systems in accordance with the present disclosure include arrangements of frequency-filter blocks, each of which includes a cascaded arrangement of tunable couplers and tunable Mach-Zehnder Interferometers (MZIs) that provides a substantially flat-top broadband transfer function for the frequency-filter block. The tunability for these devices is achieved by operatively coupling a low-power-dissipation phase controller, such as a stress-optic phase controller or liquid-crystal-based phase controller with one arm of the device, thereby enabling control over the coupling coefficient of the device.

An optical coupling device includes a light receiving element including a first output terminal and a second output terminal, a light emitting element provided on the light receiving element, a first switching element, a first electrode plate, and a sealing member. The first switching element includes a first main terminal connected to the first output terminal, a first control terminal connected to the second output terminal, and a second main terminal. An upper surface of the first electrode plate is connected to the second main terminal. The sealing member covers the light receiving element, the light emitting element, and the first switching element. A lower surface of the first electrode plate is exposed on a lower surface of the sealing member. The lower surface of the first electrode plate and the lower surface of the sealing member form the same plane.

A problem is to provide a planar lightwave circuit optical device capable of facilitating mounting of connection to a printed circuit board and realizing downsizing of a device chip. A planar lightwave circuit optical device of the present invention is characterized by mounting an electrical connector (FPC connector) by means of soldering on an electrode pad of an electrical wire connected to an electrical drive unit (such as a heater) in a device formed by using a planar lightwave circuit (PLC).

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toward techniques and configurations for optical couplers comprising a first optical waveguide and a second optical waveguide coupled to form a 2×2 optical unitary matrix to receive a respective first input optical signal and a second input optical signal. In embodiments the first optical waveguide and second optical waveguide form arms that converge alongside each other to direct the first input optical signal and the second input optical signal along a path that integrates a plurality of tunable phase shifters to transform the first input optical signal or the second input optical signal into a first output optical signal and second output optical signal to be output from the 2×2 optical unitary matrix. Additional embodiments may be described and claimed.

An eye tracker having a first waveguide for propagating illumination light along a first waveguide path and propagating image light reflected from at least one surface of an eye along a second waveguide path. At least one grating lamina for deflecting the illumination light out of the first waveguide path towards the eye and deflecting the image light into the second waveguide path towards a detector is disposed adjacent an optical surface of the waveguide.

An optical communications system includes a laser transmitter to generate an optical signal and a first optical fiber network coupled to transmit the optical signal from the laser transmitter system. A first latchable, asymmetric coupler is disposed along the first optical fiber network to receive the optical signal, and has a first tap output that receives a selected and alterable first fraction of the optical signal. A second latchable, asymmetric coupler is disposed along the first optical fiber network to receive the optical signal from the first latchable asymmetric coupler and has a second tap output that receives a selected and alterable second fraction of the optical signal incident at the second latchable. In certain embodiments the first and second couplers are capable of operating at any of at least three tapping fractions.