Abstract: An M×N wavelength selective switch (WSS), may comprise a common port fiber array unit (FAU) configured to emit optical beams with a lateral offset and a beam steering device configured to direct optical beams with an angular offset to add/drop port optical fibers of an add/drop port FAU. The common port FAU may comprise a first set of common port optical fibers arranged in a first column of the common port FAU and a second set of common port optical fibers arranged in a second column of the common port FAU. The second column of the common port FAU may be laterally offset from the first column of the common port FAU. The beam steering device may be configured to selectively direct, in two dimensions, the optical beams with the angular offset to the add/drop port optical fibers.

Abstract: A compact collimator or projector includes a waveguide having a slab core structure supporting at least two lateral modes of propagation. A light beam coupled into a first mode propagates to an edge of the waveguide where it is reflected by a reflector to propagate back. Upon propagation back and forth, the light is converted into a second mode. An out-coupling region, such as an evanescent coupler, is provided to out-couple the light propagating in the second mode. The reflector may have focusing power to collimate the out-coupled light beam. The light beam may be converted from the first to the second mode without being reflected from a reflector.

Abstract: Disclosed is a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) chip structure with a substrate-embedded optical waveguide. Also disclosed is a method for forming the SOI chip structure. In the method, an optical waveguide is formed within a trench in a bulk substrate prior to a wafer bonding process that results in the SOI structure. Subsequently, front-end-of-the-line (FEOL) processing can be performed to form additional optical devices and/or electronic devices in and/or above the silicon layer. By embedding an optical waveguide within the substrate prior to wafer bonding as opposed to forming it during FEOL processing, strict limitations on the dimensions of the core layer of the optical waveguide are avoided. The core layer of the substrate-embedded optical waveguide can be relatively large such that the cut-off wavelength can be relatively long. Thus, such a substrate-embedded optical waveguide brings different functionality to the SOI chip structure as compared to FEOL optical waveguides.

Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure relate to an optical fiber cable. The optical fiber cable includes a cable jacket having an inner surface and an outer surface in which the inner surface defines a central bore along a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber cable and the outer surface defines the outermost extent of the cable. One or more embodiments of the cables described herein have improved bending characteristics and performances, respond positively to thermal cycling tests, provide improved anti-buckling characteristics, and have a reduced production cost compared to other known cables.

Abstract: Electro-optic devices for classical and quantum microwave photonics are provided. In various embodiments, a device comprises: a waveguide; a first ring resonator; a second ring resonator, the second ring resonator evanescently coupled to the first ring resonator and to the waveguide; a first pair of electrodes, one of the first pair of electrodes disposed within the first ring resonator and the other of the first pair of electrodes disposed without the first ring resonator; a second pair of electrodes, one of the second pair of electrodes disposed within the second ring resonator and the other of the second pair of electrodes disposed without the second ring resonator; a microwave source electrically coupled to the first and second pairs of electrodes; a bias port electrically coupled to the first and second pairs of electrodes and configured to sweep a frequency band.

Abstract: A multicore optical fiber includes two or more cores, a common interior cladding surrounding the two or more cores, and a common exterior cladding surrounding the common interior cladding. The common exterior cladding has a lower relative refractive index than the common interior cladding and reduces tunneling losses from the cores. The reduced tunneling loss allows placement of cores closer to the edge of the fiber, thus providing multicore optical fibers having higher core count for a given fiber diameter. Separation between cores is controlled to minimize crosstalk.

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: A tunable wavelength filtering device is presented in which the tuning mechanism is based on altering the incident angle to an optical thin film coating stack, or thin film optical filter. Rotating mirrors, such as Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) tilt-mirrors, are used to alter the incident angle of the optical beam coming from an input fiber, and also to aim or align the exiting beam to an output optical fiber. The optical thin film coating stack can be implemented onto a glass substrate, to form a thin film filter chip. The thin film filter chip can be fixed in place, and the incident angle and exiting angle of the optical beam is varied by adjusting the tilt angle of the two rotating mirrors.

Abstract: A reinforcement device for an optical fiber fusion-spliced portion, which reinforces a fusion-spliced portion of optical fibers by heating and shrinking a reinforcement sleeve covering the fusion spliced portion, includes a heater configured to heat the reinforcement sleeve. The heater includes a sleeve housing portion capable of housing the reinforcement sleeve. The sleeve housing portion includes a first wall portion extending in a longitudinal direction of the sleeve housing portion and a second wall portion facing the first wall portion. The first wall portion and the second wall portion are configured such that a distance therebetween increases from a bottom portion side of the sleeve housing portion toward a top portion side of the sleeve housing portion in a cross-section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction. At least one bent portion is formed to at least one of the first wall portion and the second wall portion in the cross-section.

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, one 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: A light-guide optical element (LOE) includes a transparent substrate having two parallel major external surfaces for guiding light within the substrate by total internal reflection (TIR). Mutually parallel internal surfaces within the LOE are provided with a structural polarizer which is transparent to light polarized parallel to a primary polarization transmission axis, and is partially or fully reflective to light polarized perpendicular to the primary polarization transmission axis. By suitable orientation of the polarization axis of successive internal surfaces together with the polarization mixing properties of TIR and/or use of birefringent materials, it is possible to achieve the desired proportion of coupling-out of the image illumination from each successive facet.

Abstract: An optical connector including a housing body having a ferrule, an outer housing, a latch, and a tab is disclosed. The latch extends from a proximal end toward a front end of the optical connector and includes an engaging part at a distal end. The tab is placed on an outer side of the latch, movable with respect to the outer housing, and pushes down the engaging part toward the housing body according to movement of the tab. The distal end of the latch floats to space apart from the housing body. A first protrusion is disposed on an inner side of the tab. The optical connector is configured to contact an inner side of the latch with the first protrusion to push down the engaging part toward the housing body with the first protrusion as a fulcrum when the engaging part is engaged with the external device.

Abstract: A photonic chip includes a device layer and a port layer, with an optical port located at the port layer. Inter-layer optical couplers are provided for coupling light between the device and port layers. The inter-layer couplers may be configured to couple signal light but block pump light or other undesired wavelength from entering the device layer, operating as an input filter. The port layer may accommodate other light pre-processing functions, such as optical power splitting, that are undesirable in the device layer.

Abstract: A Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) a method of its production and a supercontinuum light source comprising such PCF. The PCF has a longitudinal axis and includes a core extending along the length of said longitudinal axis and a cladding region surrounding the core. At least the cladding region includes a plurality of microstructures in the form of inclusions extending along the longitudinal axis of the PCF in at least a microstructured length section. In at least a degradation resistant length section of the microstructured length section the PCF includes hydrogen and/or deuterium. In at least the degradation resistant length section the PCF further includes a main coating surrounding the cladding region, which main coating is hermetic for the hydrogen and/or deuterium at a temperature below Th, wherein Th is at least about 50° C., preferably 50° C.<Th<250° C.

Abstract: A mechanical connection interface for connecting and releasing optical components is disclosed. The mechanical connection interface includes a slide latch arrangement for securing an optical component such as a splice holder to a structure such as a tray.

Abstract: A fiber optic sensor arrangement is disclosed that includes a plurality of optical fiber based sensor elements, the sensor elements configured to modify an associated optical carrier signal in accordance with changes in a sensed quantity at a location of the sensor element and a phase modulation arrangement for phase modulating each optical carrier signal in accordance with respective uncorrelated pseudorandom binary sequence signals.

Abstract: A laser system includes a first cavity to output a laser light along a first path, a first mirror to receive the laser light from the first cavity, and redirect the laser light along a second path that is different than the first path, a beam splitter removably located at a first position on the second path, a beam combiner removably located at a second position on the second path, and an alignment device having first and second alignment features. The first and second alignment features occupy the first position and the second position, respectively, on the second path, when the beam splitter and the beam combiner are removed from the first position and the second position.

Abstract: The present application provides a fiber array for vertical coupling, including an optical fiber, an L-shaped plate, a U-shaped cover plate and a V-shaped slot; wherein the optical fiber includes a straight section, a curved transition section and a curved fixed section that are sequentially connected; the curved transition section of the optical fiber is arranged on an outer side surface of the L-shaped plate, the straight section of the optical fiber is fixedly arranged at a horizontal end of the L-shaped plate through the U-shaped cover plate, and the curved fixed section of the optical fiber is fixedly arranged on a curved end of the L-shaped plate through the V-shaped slot. The fiber array for vertical coupling provided by the present application can greatly reduce the optical loss in the light path.

Abstract: Hybrid optical cables, hybrid optical connectors, and hybrid optical adapters are disclosed. In one embodiment, a hybrid optical connector includes a connector housing having an insertion portion, wherein the insertion portion is asymmetric with respect to a mid-plane of the connector housing that is positioned in an optical axis of the hybrid optical connector. The hybrid optical connector further includes a ferrule disposed within the connector housing, and a first hermaphroditic electrical contact and a second hermaphroditic electrical contact disposed within the connector housing adjacent opposing sides of the ferrule.

Abstract: Various embodiments may relate to an optical device. The device may include an elongate substrate, an emitter portion at a distal end portion of the elongate substrate, the emitter portion configured to emit light, and an actuator portion at a proximal end portion of the elongate substrate opposite the distal end portion of the elongate substrate. The emitter portion may include a first electrode, a second electrode, and an active layer between the first electrode and the second electrode so that the light is emitted due to an increase in a temperature of the active layer upon application of a first potential difference between the first electrode and the second electrode. The active layer may be patterned to form a photonic crystal layer for enhancing directionality of the emitted light.