Abstract: In an embodiment, a method and apparatus for increasing bandwidth of an optical modulator by applying a first voltage applied to a beginning of a resistive line and applying a second voltage applied to an end of the resistive line; wherein the first voltage is less than the second voltage.

Abstract: In part, in one aspect, the disclosure relates to a method for passivating a waveguide of an optical circuit. The method includes etching a suspended waveguide in the optical circuit; the suspended waveguide having a top surface, a bottom surface, and side surfaces; and covering the top surface and side surfaces of the suspended waveguide with a passivation coating having a thickness that ranges from between about 10 nm to about 20 nm. In one embodiment, the method further includes removing one or more coatings from a portion of the optical circuit. The disclosure also relates to various passivated optical silicon circuit embodiments.

Abstract: Cantilevered waveguides suspended above an air cavity in an underlying substrate are described. The waveguide is formed by patterning a waveguide layer in some embodiments, and the air cavity is formed by etching the substrate beneath the waveguide. The topside of the air cavity may be sealed by filling the openings used to etch the cavity with a sealant, such as optical epoxy. In some embodiments, the waveguide is a facet coupler, positioned at a chip facet.

Abstract: Optical coherent receiver arrays are described. The optical coherent receiver arrays include an integrated array of photodetectors separated by integrated mirrors which may cause interference of received free space optical and local oscillator signals. The mirrors may serve as splitters, helping to align the received signal and local oscillator to cause interference. The photodetectors of the optical coherent receiver array may be electrically coupled in various manners to read out the signals. The optical coherent receiver array may be implemented in an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging system in some embodiments.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for a silicon photonics chip and a rare-earth-ion-doped waveguide amplifier chip, wherein the rare-earth ion-doped waveguide amplifier is proximate to and optically coupled to the silicon photonics chip.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for driving an optical push-pull Mach-Zehnder modulator.

Abstract: Optical transceivers comprising optical loopback circuits are described. The optical transceiver may comprise a housing, which may host a transmitter, a receiver and the optical loopback circuit. The optical loopback circuit may be configured to route at least a portion of a modulated optical signal from the transmitter to the receiver. The optical loopback circuit may comprise tap couplers and/or optical switches. The optical transceiver may be switched between a normal mode and a calibration mode. The optical transceiver may maintain the same fiber connections even when the optical transceiver is switched from one mode to another. The transmitter, the receiver and the optical loopback circuit may be disposed on a common substrate, or on separate substrates.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are methods, structures, and devices for wafer scale testing of photonic integrated circuits.

Abstract: Photonic integrated circuits including controllable cantilevers are described. Such photonic integrated circuits may be used in connection with other optical devices, in which light is transferred between the photonic integrated circuit and one of these optical device. The photonic integrated circuit may comprise an optical waveguide having an end disposed proximate to a facet of the cantilever. The orientation of the cantilever may be actively controlled in one or two dimensions, thus adjusting the orientation of the optical waveguide. Actuation of the cantilever may be performed, for example, thermally and/or electrostatically. Orientation of the cantilever may be performed in such a way to align the optical waveguide with an optical device.

Abstract: Structures and methods for passively aligning a photonic die with a receiving substrate are described. Three alignment surfaces, having dimensions greater than a desired alignment accuracy, may be formed on the photonic die and used to passively and accurately align the photonic die to a receiving substrate in six degrees of freedom. Two of the three alignment surfaces on the photonic die may be formed in a single mask-and-etch process, while the third alignment surface may require no patterning or etching. Three complementary alignment surfaces on the receiving substrate may be formed in a single mask-and-etch process.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques, methods, structures and apparatus that provide a silicon photonics multicarrier optical transceiver wherein both the transmitter and receiver are integrated on a single silicon chip and which generates a plurality of carriers through the effect of an on-chip modulator, amplifies the optical power of the carriers through the effect of an off-chip amplifier, and generates M orthogonal sets of carriers through the effect of an on-chip basis former.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for calculating the frequency of the light.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a method and apparatus for increasing bandwidth of an optical modulator by applying a first voltage applied to a beginning of a resistive line and applying a second voltage applied to an end of the resistive line; wherein the first voltage is less than the second voltage.

Abstract: An optical coherent transceiver comprising a polarization and phase-diversity coherent receiver and a polarization and phase-diversity modulator on the same substrate interfaced by three grating couplers, on grating coupler coupling in a signal, one grating coupler coupling in a laser signal, and a third grating coupler coupling out a modulated signal.

Abstract: Aspects of the present application are related to an Er-doped waveguide amplifier (EDWA) structure integrated in an uncooled silicon photonic transceiver and methods for fabricating the same. In some embodiments, the structure comprises three layers of waveguides: silicon, silicon nitride and Er-doped dielectric. The three layers of waveguides are integrated with an uncooled 980-nm pump laser. In some embodiments, the Er-doped dielectric waveguides are fully etched.

Abstract: In a first embodiment, an external cavity tunable laser, comprising a silicon photonics circuit comprising one or more resonators having one or more p-i-n junctions; wherein a voltage is applied to one or more of the p-i-n junctions. In a second embodiment, a method of operating an external cavity tunable laser, comprising sweeping out free-carriers from a resonator of the tunable laser by applying a voltage to a p-i-n junction of a waveguide of the resonator.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are techniques, methods, structures and apparatus that provide a silicon photonics multicarrier optical transceiver wherein both the transmitter and receiver are integrated on a single silicon chip and which generates a plurality of carriers through the effect of an on-chip modulator, amplifies the optical power of the carriers through the effect of an off-chip amplifier, and generates M orthogonal sets of carriers through the effect of an on-chip basis former.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are designs, structures and techniques for advanced packaging of multi-function photonic integrated circuits that allow such high-performance multi-function photonic integrated circuits to be co-packaged with a high-performance multi-function ASIC thereby significantly reducing strenuous interconnect challenges and lowering costs, power and size of the overall devices.

Abstract: Cantilevered waveguides suspended above an air cavity in an underlying substrate are described. The waveguide is formed by patterning a waveguide layer in some embodiments, and the air cavity is formed by etching the substrate beneath the waveguide. The topside of the air cavity may be sealed by filling the openings used to etch the cavity with a sealant, such as optical epoxy. In some embodiments, the waveguide is a facet coupler, positioned at a chip facet.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for removing free carriers from a waveguide using a p type semiconductor and an n type semiconductor connected by a short.