A multi-channel parallel optical communication module includes a casing having an airtight cavity, an optical communication assembly accommodated in the airtight cavity, and a temperature controller in thermal contact with the optical communication assembly. The optical communication assembly includes a plurality of optical communication units disposed at same level, and a number of the plurality of optical communication units is greater than four.

Provided is a first bias power source that generates a first data bias voltage to be applied to an optical modulation unit for the I component, a second bias power source that generates a second data bias voltage to be applied to an optical modulation unit for the Q component, and a third bias power source that generates a quadrature bias voltage to be applied to an optical phase shifter, a data bias voltage adjustment unit that applies a feedback control to each of the first bias power source and the second bias power source, and a quadrature bias voltage adjustment unit that determines whether or not the quadrature bias voltage is optimal on a basis of a second optical QAM signal generated by an IQ optical modulator, and applies a feedback control to the third bias power source, in which a first optical QAM signal and the second optical QAM signal are generated by the IQ optical modulator but the optical phase difference between an optical electric field EI and an optical electric field EQ differs by π.

Dynamically-switchable optical cables are described. One aspect includes a first terminal and a second terminal, each including a USB/Thunderbolt high-speed electrical interface. Each terminal may include a USB/Thunderbolt signal analysis unit configured to receive one or more USB/Thunderbolt low-speed signals, analyze the USB/Thunderbolt low-speed signals, and determine if the associated terminal is connected to one of a USB/Thunderbolt signal source or a USB/Thunderbolt signal sink. Each terminal may include a signal transmitting unit electrically connected to the respective USB/Thunderbolt high-speed electrical interface, and a signal receiving unit electrically connected to the respective USB/Thunderbolt high-speed electrical interface. The optical cable may include a first optical communication channel connecting an output of the first signal transmitting unit to an input of the second signal receiving unit, and a second optical communication channel connecting an output of the second signal transmitting unit to an input of the first signal receiving unit.

The invention provides an optical system and method for outputting a modulated signal comprising a single multimode interference (MMI) device having at least two inputs configured with a fixed phase and an output, wherein the output modulated signal is controlled by modulating the input power of at 5 least one of the inputs. The invention only requires a single MMI device to operate as the relative phase between the two inputs are fixed relative each other and one of the inputs can be used to modulate the output by modulating the power at a single input. In further embodiments, the invention shows how correct phases can be set by a single MMI device. Thus, no more than two 10 MMIs are required in conjunction with phase or amplitude modulating elements to fully generate a BPSK or QPSK signal.

A system includes a transmitter configured to output an optical signal. The transmitter includes a seed laser, an optical array including a plurality of array elements, and a plurality of phase shifters in a multi-layer arrangement. The multi-layer arrangement includes a plurality of layers between the seed laser and the optical array, wherein a first layer of the plurality of layers transmits light to a second layer of the plurality of layers. The first layer has fewer phase shifters than the second layer. The multi-layer arrangement also includes a plurality of branches wherein each branch includes a phase shifter from each of the plurality of layers connected in series between the seed laser and one of the plurality of array elements. Each phase shifter is configured to shift the optical signal incrementally to amass a total phase shift for each of the plurality of array elements.

An optical IQ modulator includes: Y branching elements, which are cascade-connected, each of which has one input and two outputs; QPSK modulators configured to perform QPSK modulation on continuous light branched by the Y branching elements to generate signal light; and Y combining elements, which are cascade-connected, each of which has two inputs and one output.

A communication network includes a coherent optics transmitter, a coherent optics receiver, an optical transport medium operably coupling the coherent optics transmitter to the coherent optics receiver, and a coherent optics interface. The coherent optics interface includes a lineside interface portion, a clientside interface portion, and a control interface portion.

A 2×2 optical multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) demultiplexer is disclosed. A first optical phase shifter applies a first relative phase shift between a first pair of optical transmission paths that are received from MIMO inputs, and a first 2×2 optical coupler combines the first pair of optical transmission paths and outputs a second pair of optical transmission paths. A second optical phase shifter applies a second relative phase shift between the second pair of optical transmission paths, and a second 2×2 optical coupler combines the second pair of optical transmission paths and outputs a third pair of optical transmission paths. A third optical phase shifter applies a third relative phase shift between the third pair of optical transmission paths, and a third 2×2 optical coupler combines the third pair of optical transmission paths and outputs a fourth pair of optical transmission paths, which are output by a pair of MIMO outputs.

A coherent transmitter includes a first beam splitter that splits an input first optical signal to obtain a second optical signal and a third optical signal, a first modulator that modulates the second optical signal to obtain a first modulated signal, a phase shift adjustment unit that adjusts a phase of a first sub-signal in the first modulated signal and adjusts a phase of a fourth sub-signal in the phase-adjusted first sub-signal, a first beam combiner that combines a second sub-signal in the first modulated signal and the phase-adjusted fourth sub-signal to obtain a first combined signal, a first PD that performs optical-to-electrical conversion on the first combined signal to obtain a first electrical signal, and a controller that controls, based on the first electrical signal, a voltage applied to the phase shift adjustment unit.

A communication network includes a coherent optics transmitter, a coherent optics receiver, an optical transport medium operably coupling the coherent optics transmitter to the coherent optics receiver, and a coherent optics interface. The coherent optics interface includes a lineside interface portion, a clientside interface portion, and a control interface portion.