Abstract: Described herein are optical sensing devices for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). A PIC may comprise a plurality of waveguides formed in a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate, and a plurality of heterogeneous lasers, each laser formed from a silicon material of the SOI substrate and to emit an output wavelength comprising an infrared wavelength. Each of these lasers may comprise a resonant cavity included in one of the plurality of waveguides, and a gain material comprising a non-silicon material and adiabatically coupled to the respective waveguide. A light directing element may direct outputs of the plurality of heterogeneous lasers from the PIC towards an object, and one or more detectors may detect light from the plurality of heterogeneous lasers reflected from or transmitted through the object.

Abstract: An optical system can lock a wavelength of a tunable laser to a specified wavelength of a temperature-insensitive spectral profile of a spectral filter. In some examples, the spectral filter, such as a Fabry-Perot filter, can have a temperature-insensitive peak wavelength and increasing attenuation at wavelengths away from the peak wavelength. The spectral filter can spectrally filter the laser light to form filtered laser light. A detector can detect at least a fraction of the filtered laser light. Circuitry coupled to the detector and the laser can tune the tunable laser to set a signal from the detector to a specified value corresponding to a specified wavelength in the spectral profile, and thereby adjust the selectable wavelength of the tunable laser to match the specified wavelength. In some examples, the optical system can include a polarization rotator, and can use polarization to separate incident light from return light.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe apparatuses, systems, and methods of thermal management for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). Embodiments include a first device and a second device comprising including waveguides, wherein the first and second devices have different thermal operating conditions. A first region is adjacent to a waveguide of the first device, wherein its optical mode is to be substantially confined by the first region, and wherein the first region has a first thermal conductivity to dissipate heat based on the thermal operating condition of the first device. A second region is adjacent to a waveguide of the second device, wherein its optical mode is to be substantially confined by the second region, and wherein the second region has a second thermal conductivity to dissipate heat based on the thermal operating condition of the second device. In some embodiments, thermal cross talk is reduced without significantly affecting optical performance.

Abstract: Described herein are photonic systems and devices including a optical interface unit disposed on a bottom side of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) to receive light from an emitter of the PIC. A top side of the PIC includes a flip-chip interface for electrically coupling the PIC to an organic substrate via the top side. An alignment feature corresponding to the emitter is formed with the emitter to be offset by a predetermined distance value; because the emitter and the alignment feature are formed using a shared processing operation, the offset (i.e., predetermined distance value) may be precise and consistent across similarly produced PICs. The PIC comprises a processing feature to image the alignment feature from the bottom side (e.g., a hole). A heat spreader layer surrounds the optical interface unit and is disposed on the bottom side of the PIC to spread heat from the PIC.

Abstract: The wavelength response of an arrayed waveguide grating can be tuned, in accordance with various embodiments, using a beam sweeper including one or more heaters to shift a lateral position of light focused by the beam sweeper at an interface of the beam sweeper with an input free propagation region of the arrayed waveguide grating.

Abstract: In photonic integrated circuits implemented in silicon-on-insulator substrates, non-conductive channels formed, in accordance with various embodiments, in the silicon device layer and/or the silicon handle of the substrate in regions underneath radio-frequency transmission lines of photonic devices can provide breaks in parasitic conductive layers of the substrate, thereby reducing radio-frequency substrate losses.

Abstract: In the prior art, tunable lasers utilizing silicon-based tunable ring filters and III-V semiconductor-based gain regions required the heterogeneous integration of independently formed silicon and III-V semiconductor based optical elements, resulting in large optical devices requiring a complex manufacturing process (e.g., airtight packaging to couple the devices formed on different substrates, precise alignment for the elements, etc.). Embodiments of the invention eliminate the need for bulk optical elements and hermetic packaging, via the use of hybridized III-V/silicon gain regions and silicon optical components, such as silicon wavelength filters and stabilized wavelength references, thereby reducing the size and manufacturing complexity of tunable lasing devices.

Abstract: Described herein are lasers comprising an output port to output an optical signal, a plurality of waveguide segments forming an optical cavity length, and a resonant optical cavity comprising the optical cavity length, a gain medium included in the resonant optical cavity to amplify the optical signal, and a heating element disposed near at least two of the plurality of waveguide segments, the heating element controllable to adjust the phase of the optical signal by heating the waveguide segments. Described herein are optical devices comprising a first plurality of ports to output a plurality of optical signals, a second plurality of ports to receive the plurality of optical signals, and a plurality of coupling waveguides. The plurality of waveguide may comprise a pair of adjacent waveguides separated by a first distance, each of the pair of adjacent waveguides comprising a different width.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe optical devices including a III-V slab having a taper including a first region and a second region smaller than the first. Said first region receives light and confines an optical mode of the received light; thus, as opposed to the prior art solutions, said III-V regions of optical devices perform the optical function of mode confinement. Embodiments of the invention further describe optical devices including a silicon slab to receive light from said III-V slab, and having a taper including a first silicon region and a second silicon region smaller than the first. Said first region receives light and confines an optical mode of the received light. Thus, embodiments of the invention describe optical devices created with a low loss transition from hybrid regions to silicon regions with fewer restrictions on the design of the silicon waveguides and the III-V waveguides.

Abstract: Described herein are methods, systems, and apparatuses to utilize an electro-optic modulator including one or more heating elements. The modulator can utilize one or more heating elements to control an absorption or phase shift of the modulated optical signal. At least the active region of the modulator and the one or more heating elements of the modulator are included in a thermal isolation region comprising a low thermal conductivity to thermally isolate the active region and the one or more heating elements from a substrate of the PIC.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe systems, apparatuses and methods for providing athermicity and a tunable spectral response for optical filters. Finite impulse response (FIR) filters are commonly implemented in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to make devices such as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) devices, asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers (AMZIs) and array waveguide gratings (AWGs). Athermicity of an FIR filter describes maintaining a consistent frequency transmission spectrum as the ambient temperature changes. A tunable spectral response for an FIR filter describes changing the spectrum of an FIR filter based on its application, as well as potentially correcting for fabrication deviations from the design. In addition, embodiments of the invention reduce energy dissipation requirements and control complexity compared to prior art solutions.

Abstract: Embodiments describe transceiver architectures to enable ‘loopback’ operation, thereby allowing or on-chip or intra module characterization of the transceiver. This includes but is not limited to tests such as bit error rate (BER) characterization, received power characterization and calibration of filters (MUX, DMUX etc.) present in the transceiver. Embodiments may also describe architectures for superimposing low-speed data on to the signal coming out of a transmitter, which in turn enables low frequency communication between network elements in the external link.

Abstract: Described herein are optical sensing devices for photonic integrated circuits (PICs). A PIC may comprise a plurality of waveguides formed in a silicon on insulator (SOI) substrate, and a plurality of heterogeneous lasers, each laser formed from a silicon material of the SOI substrate and to emit an output wavelength comprising an infrared wavelength. Each of these lasers may comprise a resonant cavity included in one of the plurality of waveguides, and a gain material comprising a non-silicon material and adiabatically coupled to the respective waveguide. A light directing element may direct outputs of the plurality of heterogeneous lasers from the PIC towards an object, and one or more detectors may detect light from the plurality of heterogeneous lasers reflected from or transmitted through the object.

Abstract: An optical system can automatically lock an adjustable spectral filter to a first wavelength of an incoming light signal, and can automatically filter an additional incoming light signal at the first wavelength. A tunable filter can have a filtering spectrum with an adjustable peak wavelength and increasing attenuation at wavelengths away from the adjustable peak wavelength. The tunable filter can receive first input light, having a first wavelength, and can spectrally filter the first input light to form first output light. A detector can detect at least a fraction of the first output light. Circuitry coupled to the detector and the tunable filter can tune the tunable filter to maximize a signal from the detector and thereby adjust the peak wavelength to match the first wavelength. The tunable filter further can receive second input light and spectrally filter the second input light at the first wavelength.

Abstract: Described herein are photonic integrated circuits (PICs) comprising a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) to output a signal comprising a plurality of wavelengths, a sensor to detect data associated with a power value of each wavelength of the output signal of the SOA, a filter to filter power values of one or more of the wavelengths of the output signal of the SOA, and control circuitry to control the filter to reduce a difference between a pre-determined power value of each filtered wavelength of the output signal of the SOA and the detected power value of each filtered wavelength of the output signal of the SOA.

Abstract: In photonic integrated circuits implemented in silicon-on-insulator substrates, non-conductive channels formed, in accordance with various embodiments, in the silicon device layer and/or the silicon handle of the substrate in regions underneath radio-frequency transmission lines of photonic devices can provide breaks in parasitic conductive layers of the substrate, thereby reducing radio-frequency substrate losses.

Abstract: Described herein are photonic systems and devices including a optical interface unit disposed on a bottom side of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) to receive light from an emitter of the PIC. A top side of the PIC includes a flip-chip interface for electrically coupling the PIC to an organic substrate via the top side. An alignment feature corresponding to the emitter is formed with the emitter to be offset by a predetermined distance value; because the emitter and the alignment feature are formed using a shared processing operation, the offset (i.e., predetermined distance value) may be precise and consistent across similarly produced PICs. The PIC comprises a processing feature to image the alignment feature from the bottom side (e.g., a hole). A heat spreader layer surrounds the optical interface unit and is disposed on the bottom side of the PIC to spread heat from the PIC.

Abstract: The wavelength response of an arrayed waveguide grating can be tuned, in accordance with various embodiments, using a beam sweeper including one or more heaters to shift a lateral position of light focused by the beam sweeper at an interface of the beam sweeper with an input free propagation region of the arrayed waveguide grating.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention describe systems, apparatuses and methods for providing athermicity and a tunable spectral response for optical filters. Finite impulse response (FIR) filters are commonly implemented in photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to make devices such as wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) devices, asymmetric Mach-Zehnder interferometers (AMZIs) and array waveguide gratings (AWGs). Athermicity of an FIR filter describes maintaining a consistent frequency transmission spectrum as the ambient temperature changes. A tunable spectral response for an FIR filter describes changing the spectrum of an FIR filter based on its application, as well as potentially correcting for fabrication deviations from the design. In addition, embodiments of the invention reduce energy dissipation requirements and control complexity compared to prior art solutions.

Abstract: The wavelength response of an arrayed waveguide grating can be tuned, in accordance with various embodiments, using a beam sweeper including one or more heaters to shift a lateral position of light focused by the beam sweeper at an interface of the beam sweeper with an input free propagation region of the arrayed waveguide grating.