Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe large scale steerable optical switched arrays that may be fabricated on a common substrate including many thousands or more emitters that may be arranged in a curved pattern at the focal plane of a lens thereby allowing the directional control of emitted light and selective reception of reflected light suitable for use in imaging, ranging, and sensing applications including accident avoidance.

Abstract: An optical phase shifter may include a waveguide core that has a top surface, and a semiconductor contact that is laterally displaced relative to the waveguide core and is electrically connected to the waveguide core. A top surface of the semiconductor contact is above the top surface of the waveguide core. The waveguide core may include a p-type core region and an n-type core region. A p-type semiconductor region may be in physical contact with the n-type core region of the waveguide core, and an n-type semiconductor region may be in physical contact with the p-type core region of the waveguide core. A phase shifter region and a light-emitting region may be disposed at different depth levels, and the light-emitting region may emit light from a phase shifter region that is in a position adjacent to the light-emitting region.

Abstract: At least one beam of an optical wave is transmitted along a transmission angle toward a target location from a send aperture of a transmitter. The optical wave comprises at least a first portion, and a second portion having a different characteristic from a characteristic of the first portion. Two or more receivers include at least one receiver comprising: a receive aperture arranged in proximity to at least one of the send aperture or a receive aperture of a different receiver, an optical phased array within the receive aperture, the optical phased array being configured to receive at least a portion of a collected optical wave arriving at the receive aperture along a respective collection angle, and a filter configured to filter the received portion of the collected optical wave according to the characteristic of the first portion of the optical wave.

Abstract: At least one beam of an optical wave is transmitted along a transmission angle toward a target location from a send aperture of a transmitter. A collected optical wave is received at receive apertures of two or more receivers. Each receiver comprises: a receive aperture arranged in proximity to at least one of the send aperture or a receive aperture of a different receiver, an optical phased array within the receive aperture, which receives at least a portion of a collected optical wave arriving at the receive aperture along a respective collection angle, and a detector that provides a signal based on the received portion of the collected optical wave. An estimated distance associated with the collected optical wave is determined based on a combination that includes a respective component corresponding to each of two or more of the signals provided from the detectors of the two or more receivers.

Abstract: An internal laser component of an optical device comprises: a waveguide that defines a guided mode of a first optical wave characterized by a first propagation constant associated with a first effective refractive index. An optical antenna grating comprises: a waveguide that defines a guided mode of a second optical wave characterized by a second propagation constant associated with a second effective refractive index, and a grating structure configured to emit a portion of the second optical wave in a selected direction. The internal laser component and the optical antenna grating are configured to provide a relationship between the first effective refractive index and the second effective refractive index such that the selected direction is substantially insensitive to a change in a temperature of a thermal environment in which the internal laser component and the optical antenna grating are thermally coupled.

Abstract: A polarization rotator structure includes: a first core structure formed at a first layer, extending from the first end to a second end, and a second core structure formed at a second layer that is at a different depth than the first layer and formed in proximity to the first core structure. The first core structure and the second core structure provide mode hybridization between at least two orthogonally polarized waveguide modes of the PRS. An optical splitter structure is optically coupled at a first end to the second end of the PRS, and optically coupled at a second end to at least two optical waveguides, and includes: a first core structure that is contiguous with at least one of the first or second core structures of the PRS, and a second core structure that is separate from both of the first and second core structures of the PRS.

Abstract: An optical switching apparatus comprises: input ports receiving respective input optical waves, each coupled to a respective beam-forming structure comprising: an input optical waveguide, an optical power distributor to distribute optical power from a mode of the optical waveguide over the respective spatial region, and a spatially distributed phase shifter to apply different transmission optical phase shifts over different portions of the respective spatial region, where the transmission optical phase shifts determine the selected transmission angle; and output ports providing respective output optical waves, each coupled to a respective beam-receiving structure comprising: a spatially distributed phase shifter to apply different reception optical phase shifts over different portions of the respective spatial region, where the reception optical phase shifts determine the selected reception angle, an optical power combiner to combine optical power from different portions of the respective spatial region into

Abstract: A polarization rotator structure includes: a first core structure formed at a first layer, extending from the first end to a second end, and a second core structure formed at a second layer that is at a different depth than the first layer and formed in proximity to the first core structure. The first core structure and the second core structure provide mode hybridization between at least two orthogonally polarized waveguide modes of the PRS. An optical splitter structure is optically coupled at a first end to the second end of the PRS, and optically coupled at a second end to at least two optical waveguides, and includes: a first core structure that is contiguous with at least one of the first or second core structures of the PRS, and a second core structure that is separate from both of the first and second core structures of the PRS.

Abstract: Speckle reduction in photonic phased array structures can be achieved using a receiver aperture that is configured to provide optical energy through portions of at least one optical network. The optical network is in communication with phase-controlled elements of at least one array of phase-controlled elements. Optical energy is coupled through a first portion of the optical network to a first optical detector in a detector structure, and optical energy is coupled through a second portion of the optical network to a second optical detector in the detector structure different from the first optical detector in the detector structure.

Abstract: A plurality of waveguide structures are formed in at least one silicon layer of a first member. The first member includes: a first surface of a first silicon dioxide layer that is attached to a second member that consists essentially of an optically transmissive material having a thermal conductivity less than about 50 W/(m·K), and a second surface of material that was deposited over at least some of the plurality of waveguide structures. An array of phase shifters is formed in one or more layers of the first member. An array of temperature controlling elements are in proximity to the array of phase shifters.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures—including LiDAR—that employ multiple detectors that may determine multiple incident angles of multiple received radiation beams and advantageously do not require or employ phase shifters in illustrative embodiments and may instead—employ optical Fourier transform structures.

Abstract: An apparatus comprises: a first integrated circuit comprising: a plurality of sets of optical waveguides, each set of optical waveguides including a plurality of optical waveguide segments, and a plurality of optical emitter elements arranged over a first surface of the first integrated circuit, each optical emitter element coupled to a distal end of one of the optical waveguide segments; and a second integrated circuit comprising: a plurality of optical phase shifters that each provide a phase-shifted optical wave that is coupled to the first integrated circuit from a first edge surface of the second integrated circuit. The first edge surface of the second integrated circuit is in proximity to a row of proximal ends of the optical waveguide segments of a first set of the plurality of sets of optical waveguides.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe optical structures and devices, and more particularly to improved, tunable optical structures including optical gratings that are dynamically affected and/or tuned by acousto-optic or electro-optic mechanisms.

Abstract: A wavelength division multiplexing filter comprises: a first multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometer comprising a plurality of first-order Mach-Zehnder interferometers, and a second multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometer comprising a plurality of first-order Mach-Zehnder interferometers; wherein the first multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometer and the second multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometer are included in a group of multiple multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometers arranged within a binary tree arrangement, the binary tree arrangement comprising: a first set of a plurality of multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometers, the first set including the first multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and having an associated spectral response with a first spacing between adjacent passbands, and a second set of at least twice as many multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometers as in the first set, the second set including the second multi-order Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and having an associated spectral respon

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure describe systems, methods, and structures—including LiDAR—that employ multiple detectors that may determine multiple incident angles of multiple received radiation beams and advantageously do not require or employ phase shifters in illustrative embodiments and may instead—employ optical Fourier transform structures.

Abstract: 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.

Abstract: Optical communication with a remote node comprises: transmitting at least one optical beam to the remote node; receiving at least a portion of at least one optical beam from the remote node; providing intensity information based on one or more signals from one or more optical detector modules in an array of optical detector modules detecting the portion of the optical beam received from the remote node; and controlling at least one optical phased array to steer the optical beam transmitted to the remote node based on intensity information received from the remote node.

Abstract: An optical phase shifter may include a waveguide core that has a top surface, and a semiconductor contact that is laterally displaced relative to the waveguide core and is electrically connected to the waveguide core. A top surface of the semiconductor contact is above the top surface of the waveguide core. The waveguide core may include a p-type core region and an n-type core region. A p-type semiconductor region may be in physical contact with the n-type core region of the waveguide core, and an n-type semiconductor region may be in physical contact with the p-type core region of the waveguide core. A phase shifter region and a light-emitting region may be disposed at different depth levels, and the light-emitting region may emit light from a phase shifter region that is in a position adjacent to the light-emitting region.

Abstract: A polarization rotator structure includes: a first core structure formed at a first layer, extending from the first end to a second end, and a second core structure formed at a second layer that is at a different depth than the first layer and formed in proximity to the first core structure. The first core structure and the second core structure provide mode hybridization between at least two orthogonally polarized waveguide modes of the PRS. An optical splitter structure is optically coupled at a first end to the second end of the PRS, and optically coupled at a second end to at least two optical waveguides, and includes: a first core structure that is contiguous with at least one of the first or second core structures of the PRS, and a second core structure that is separate from both of the first and second core structures of the PRS.

Abstract: An optical phase shifter may include a waveguide core that has a top surface, and a semiconductor contact that is laterally displaced relative to the waveguide core and is electrically connected to the waveguide core. A top surface of the semiconductor contact is above the top surface of the waveguide core. The waveguide core may include a p-type core region and an n-type core region. A p-type semiconductor region may be in physical contact with the n-type core region of the waveguide core, and an n-type semiconductor region may be in physical contact with the p-type core region of the waveguide core. A phase shifter region and a light-emitting region may be disposed at different depth levels, and the light-emitting region may emit light from a phase shifter region that is in a position adjacent to the light-emitting region.