Abstract: A beam-shaping optical system suitable for use with optical coherence tomography includes a beam-shaping body having a beam-shaping element and an alignment feature. An optical fiber is coupled to the alignment feature. The fiber has a fiber end configured to emit an electromagnetic beam. The fiber and the body are configured to direct the beam into the beam-shaping element such that the beam is shaped solely by reflection into an image spot.

Abstract: A communication module includes a printed circuit board, a housing including a left and right sidewall, a top and bottom panel, and a catch pin extending from the bottom panel, the housing enclosing the circuit board and configured to be inserted into and removed from the host device, and a delatch assembly slidably engaged with the bottom panel of the housing, including first and second delatch arms extending underneath the bottom panel of the housing and configured to removably engage with the host device, and a delatch cross-member extending underneath the bottom panel of the housing, including a hooking member configured to selectively engage the catch pin as the delatch assembly slides along the housing.

Abstract: Waveguide structures and methods of fabricating waveguide structures. The waveguide structures are formed using a semiconductor substrate that includes a device layer, a handle wafer, a buried oxide layer between the handle wafer and the device layer, and an epitaxial semiconductor layer over the device layer. First and second trench isolation regions extend through the device layer and the epitaxial semiconductor layer. The first and second trench isolation regions are spaced to define a waveguide core region comprising a section of the device layer and a section of the epitaxial semiconductor layer that are arranged between the first and second trench isolation regions. A first airgap and a second airgap are respectively located in the device layer and the buried oxide layer. The first and second airgaps are arranged beneath the waveguide core region, and the first airgap may be arranged between the second airgap and the waveguide core region.

Abstract: An optical-fiber connector includes a handle, a sleeve member, and connecting housings each including a base body and an elastic arm. Each elastic arm includes engaging blocks protruding from the elastic arm and a slidable groove on the corresponding base body. The slidable grooves face each other. The handle includes a handle body between the elastic arms and a handle member extending from the handle body. Two slidable blocks are at two sides of the handle body and respectively inserted into the slidable grooves, and two protruding blocks are at two sides of the handle member. The sleeve member is fitted over the handle member. First and second engaging grooves are on a wall surface of the sleeve member, and the first and second engaging grooves are on different positions of the wall surface of the sleeve member. Accordingly, the length of the handle is adjustable.

Abstract: A flat drop cable has notches or other structures for enhancing the stripability of the jacket from the a core of the flat drop cable. The notches can have an angled configuration with surfaces that converge as the notch extends into the jacket. Inner edges of the notches can be positioned along a tear path that intersects the core of the flat drop cable. For example, the notches can be offset from a minor axis of the flat drop cable a sufficient distance such that the notches are positioned outside a central boundary region that extends tangent to sides of the core and parallel to the minor axis of the flat drop cable.

Abstract: A photonic integrated device (PID) for generating single and multiple wavelength optical signals is provided. The PID includes first and second reflective structures having first and second predetermined reflectivities, respectively. A common waveguide is optically coupled to the first reflective structure, and at least one semiconductor waveguide is optically coupled to the second reflective structure. The PID further includes at least one active gain region that is disposed between the first and second reflective structures. In various embodiments, the PID includes at least one of a dielectric waveguide based wavelength dependent element and a dielectric Bragg stack.

Abstract: A system and method for marking a moving surface of a fiber optic cable is provided. The system includes a supply of the fiber optic cable, a laser generating device configured to generate a laser beam that forms markings by interacting with the material of the moving surface of the fiber optic cable. The system includes a movement device moving the fiber optic cable through the system at a speed of at least 50 m per minute. The system includes a laser directing device located in the path of the laser beam and configured to change the path of the laser beam to direct the laser beam to a plurality of discrete locations on the moving surface to form a series of marks on the moving surface. The moving surface includes a plurality of tracking indicia to allow the position of the moving surface to be determined.

Abstract: A multi-fiber cable assembly includes an optical connector and a cable. The optical connector includes a connector body; an optical ferrule body, and alignment elements. The optical ferrule body has an end face defining a plurality of alignment openings arranged in rows and has a plurality of buckling chambers. Each buckling chamber is aligned with one of the rows of the alignment openings. The optical fibers of the cable have bare portions secured at a first end of the optical ferrule body using rigid epoxy. Each of the optical fibers is routed through one of the buckling chambers to one of the alignment holes.

Abstract: A traceable cable and method of forming the same. The cable includes at least one data transmission element, a jacket at least partially surrounding the at least one data transmission element, and a side-emitting optical fiber incorporated with and extending along at least a portion of the length of the cable. The side-emitting optical fiber can have a core, spaced apart scattering sites having scattering material disposed on an exterior surface of the core along the length of the optical fiber, and a cladding substantially surrounding the core and the scattering material. The scattering sites are capable of scattering light so that the scattered light is emitted from the side-emitting optical fiber at discrete locations proximate to the scattering sites. When light is transmitted through the core, light scattered from the side-emitting optical fiber allows the cable to be traced along at least a portion of the length thereof.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for non-blocking Mach-Zehnder Modulator (MZM) arm imbalance monitoring and control through tones are disclosed herein. An optical transmitter may include an MZM to supply a first portion of light to an in-phase arm and a second portion to a quadrature arm of the MZM. The optical transmitter may apply modulator arm adjustments and dither signals to the two portions. Then, the MZM may combine the two portions into an optical output signal. The optical transmitter may tap the optical output signal to provide a first portion of the optical output signal and transmit a second portion. Also, the optical transmitter may obtain first error signals, based on the first dither signal, and second error signals, based on the second dither signal, of the first portion of the output signal. The optical transmitter may change the modulator arm adjustments based on the error signals.

Abstract: A fiber optic drop cable assembly is disclosed. The fiber optic drop cable assembly includes a fiber optic cable having an unsplit length, with a first split length and a second split length branching from the unsplit length. An optical fiber passage is formed at an interface of the first split length and the second split length. A first strength member extends from the unsplit length and is disposed in the first split length. A second strength member extends from the unsplit length and is disposed in the second split length. At least one optical fiber extends in the optical fiber passage. A fiber optic connector connects to the at least one optical fiber and is releasably secured to one or both of the first strength member and the second strength member. A pulling feature attaches to a portion of the fiber optic drop cable assembly for installation.

Abstract: A device and system for coupling optical vortex multiplexed light into and out of a photonic integrated circuit. The multi-mode forked grating coupler device comprises: (i) a multi-mode forked grating structure configured to receive at least one optical vortex multiplexed light beam, wherein the multi-mode forked grating structure comprises at least one forked region positioned amidst a plurality of grooves, wherein the forked region comprises a single groove forking into two grooves, wherein the single groove is noncontiguous with the two grooves, and wherein the plurality of grooves comprise a central bending region; (ii) an optical waveguide; and (iii) a tapered portion connecting the forked grating structure and the multi-mode optical “bus” waveguide.

Abstract: A light system may include a fused mid-IR tapered combiner to optically connect a bundle of mid-IR fiber bundles with a multimode fiber. The fused mid-IR fiber tapered combiner arranges a bundle of fibers in a geometric arrangement to reduce the diameter of a plurality of mid-IR fibers to match or equal the diameter of a single multimode mid-IR fiber. The mid-IR fibers carry light produced and emitted from semiconductor light sources.

Abstract: An optical transceiver may include pairs of lasers, each laser of a particular pair generating light at the same wavelength and each pair of lasers generating light at different wavelengths. The light from the lasers may be demultiplexed onto a pair of outputs, with each output receiving light from different lasers of each pair of lasers.

Abstract: An optical fiber comprises a glass fiber and a coating resin layer covering the glass fiber, the coating resin layer having a primary resin layer and a secondary resin layer, the primary resin layer comprising a cured resin composition obtained by curing a resin composition comprising an oligomer, a monomer, and a photopolymerization initiator, wherein the oligomer is a reaction product of a polyol compound, an isocyanate compound, and a hydroxyl group-containing (meth)acrylate compound; a proportion of a primary hydroxyl group of hydroxyl groups included in the polyol compound is 3.5% or less; and a Young's modulus of the secondary resin layer at ?40° C. is 1780 MPa or more.

Abstract: An optical system for optical communications includes: a signal light exit portion, a first coupler optical system that collects the signal light, a first collimator optical system that collimates the signal light into a parallel light, an optical signal-operating portion that reflects the parallel light, a second collimator optical system that collects the parallel light reflected, a second coupler optical system that collects signal light, and a signal light-receiving portion that receives the signal light incident, wherein: the first collimator optical system is defined by a decentered optical system that includes a reflective surface that tilts with respect to an optical axis of incident signal light and is capable of reflection, and the second collimator optical system is defined by a second decentered optical system that includes a reflective surface that tilts with respect to an optical axis of incident signal light and is capable of internal reflection.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to polarizing optical fibers and polarization maintaining optical fibers, including active and/or passive implementations. An embodiment includes a polarizing (PZ) optical fiber that includes stress applying parts (SAPs) disposed in a first cladding region, the SAPs comprising a material with a thermal expansion coefficient, ?SAP. A core region is at least partially surrounded by cladding features and the SAPs. The core includes glass with a thermal expansion coefficient, ?core. The arrangement of the SAPs satisfies: Rsc=dSAP/Dsc, where Dsc is the SAP center to core center distance, and dSAP is the average SAP diameter, and d?=|?SAP??core|, and where Rsc and d? may be sufficiently large to induce stress birefringence into the core and to provide for polarized output. Active fibers in which a portion of the fiber is doped may be implemented for application in fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers, and/or optical pulse compressors.

Abstract: An optic module cage assembly includes an optic module cage body configured to receive and retain one or more optic modules; a stationary heatsink fixedly attached to the optic module cage body; one or more spring members configured to bias the one or more optic modules towards the stationary heatsink when the one or more optic modules are retained in the optic module cage assembly; and one or more floating connectors configured to make electrical connections with the one or more optic modules when the optic modules are retained in the optic module cage assembly.

Abstract: System and methods for highly integrated optical readout MEMS sensors are provided. In one embodiment, a method for an integrated waveguide optical-pickoff sensor comprises: launching a laser beam generated by a laser light source into an integrated waveguide optical-pickoff monolithically fabricated within a first substrate, the integrated waveguide optical-pickoff including an optical input port, a coupling port, and an optical output port; and detecting an amount of coupling of the laser beam from the coupling port to a sensor component separated from the coupling port by a gap by measuring an attenuation of the laser beam at the optical output port.

Abstract: An output monitoring method for an optical modulator includes: branching light into first and second lights; modulating a phase of the first light within a first waveguide; modulating a phase of the second light within a second waveguide; multiplexing the first and second lights to generate interference light, and outputting the interference light from first and second output ports; detecting a difference or ratio between a portion of the interference light from the first output port and a portion of the interference light from the second output port; and setting an operating point of light based on the detected difference or ratio; and controlling phase modulation of follow-on light that propagates through the first and second waveguides so as to keep the operating point constant.