Abstract: Multibeam diffraction grating-based color backlighting includes a plate light guide, a multibeam diffraction grating at a surface of the plate light guide, and light sources laterally displaced from one another in a direction corresponding to a propagation axis of the plate light guide. The light sources produce light of different colors. The plate light guide is to guide light from the light sources. The multibeam diffraction grating is to couple out a portion of the guided light using diffractive coupling as a plurality of light beams of different colors in a plurality of different principal angular directions.

Abstract: A backlight includes a plate light, guide to guide light, a light source to produce light, and a collimating reflector to substantially collimate the produced light. The collimating reflector also is to direct that collimated light into the plate light guide as guided light of the plate light guide. A portion of the guided light in the backlight is to be emitted from a surface of the backlight as emitted light.

Abstract: An optical coupling system includes an optical signal source to provide an optical signal from an aperture. The system also includes a substantially planar high-contrast grating (HCG) lens to convert an optical mode of the optical signal to provide a converted optical signal having a mode-isolating intensity profile. The system further includes an optical element to receive the converted optical signal. The optical signal source and the substantially planar HCG lens can be arranged to substantially mitigate coupling of a reflected optical signal associated with the converted optical signal that is reflected from the optical element to the aperture of the optical signal source based on a reflected mode-isolating intensity profile.

Abstract: Wavefront synthesizers and optical switches implemented with wavefront synthesizers are disclosed. In one aspect, a wavefront synthesizer includes a waveguide tree composed a root waveguide that branches into at least two terminus waveguides. The root waveguide is integrated with a source to inject light into the waveguide tree via the root waveguide. The synthesizer includes output couplers located at the ends of the terminus waveguides. Each output coupler outputs a wavefront associated with a portion of the light injected with at least two of the wavefronts overlapping to form at least one beam of light via constructive interference. The synthesizer also includes microring resonators disposed adjacent to the terminus waveguides. Each microring is independently tunable to apply a phase shift in the wavefront output from one of the output couplers to steer the direction of the beam and the at least two wavefronts.

Abstract: An example apparatus may include a light source for illuminating a sample, an objective lens positioned on a light path extending from the sample, a lenslet array having a plurality of lenslets and positioned along the light path to receive light from the objective lens. The lenslet array may be positioned along the light path at substantially a Fourier plane of the sample. The example apparatus may also include a detector positioned along the light path approximately one lenslet focal length from the lenslet array. The plurality of lenslets of the lenslet array may correspond to portions of the detector. Each lenslet of the lenslet array may transmit to a corresponding portion of the detector an image of the same portion of the sample from a different viewing angle.

Abstract: A directional grating-based backlight includes a light guide to guide light and three sets of diffraction gratings. The diffraction grating sets are to selectively couple out portions of light to be guided by the light guide. The light is to propagate within the light guide in three different propagation directions separated in angle by about 120 degrees. The sets of diffraction gratings are to couple out different portions of the guided light as substantially collimated light using diffraction coupling. The substantially collimated light is to be emitted from the directional grating-based backlight in substantially the same direction.

Abstract: A directional backlight is disclosed. The directional backlight has a directional backplane that has a plurality of directional pixels to scatter a plurality of input planar lightbeams into a plurality of directional lightbeams. Each directional lightbeam has a direction and angular spread controlled by characteristics of a directional pixel in the plurality of directional pixels. A modulation layer having a plurality of modulators modulates the plurality of directional lightbeams. The directional backlight can be used to generate a 3D image with multiple views by specifying the characteristics of the directional pixels in the directional backplane.

Abstract: A laser includes an active ring, a passive waveguide, and a reflector. The active ring is to generate light. The passive waveguide is associated with the active ring to capture generated light. The reflector is associated with the passive waveguide to cause captured light from the waveguide to be coupled into the active ring to trigger domination of unidirectional lasing in the active ring to generate light.

Abstract: Techniques related to optical devices are described herein. In an example, an optical device includes (a) an input optical channel and a corresponding output optical channel, and (b) an assembly of sub-wavelength grating layers aligned to optically couple the input optical channel to the output optical channel.

Abstract: An optical coupling system and method of fabrication are included. The optical coupling system includes a substrate layer and an optical waveguide material overlying the substrate layer. The optical waveguide material can include a grating. The system also includes a cover material overlying the optical waveguide material to couple an optical signal to the optical waveguide material via the grating at a coupling angle. Approximately zero energy of the coupled optical signal is lost in the substrate layer due to a combination of the coupling angle and a difference in refractive indices between the cover material and the substrate layer.

Abstract: Apparatuses and systems for analyzing light by mode interference are provided. An example of an apparatus for analyzing light by mode interference includes a number of waveguides to support in a multimode region two modes of the light of a particular polarization and a plurality of scattering objects offset from a center of at least one of the number of waveguides.

Abstract: Apparatuses, systems, and methods for micro-ring optical resonators are provided. An example of a micro-ring optical resonator apparatus includes an array of input waveguides with each input waveguide optically coupled to an array of micro-rings, an output waveguide operatively associated with each of the micro-rings, and a scattering object operatively associated with each of the micro-rings, wherein the scattering object is connected to the output waveguide.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to surface-emitting lasers with the cavity including at least one single-layer, non-periodic, sub-wavelength grating. In one embodiment, a surface-emitting laser comprises a grating layer configured with a non-periodic, sub-wavelength grating, a reflective layer, and a light-emitting layer disposed between the grating layer and the reflector. The non-periodic, sub-wavelength grating is configured with a grating pattern that controls the shape of one or more internal cavity modes, and controls the shape of one or more external transverse modes emitted from the surface-emitting laser.

Abstract: One example relates to an optical engine comprising a given layer of given material overlaying an optical waveguide of another material. The given layer of given material can comprise an aligning seat to receive an optical transmitter to provide the optical signal. The aligning seat can also align the optical transmitter such that the optical transmitter provides the optical signal in a direction that is substantially non-oblique relative to a longitudinal axis of the optical waveguide. The optical engine can also include an optical signal redirector to tilt the optical signal by a tilt angle. The optical waveguide can comprise a grating coupler to diffract the optical signal provided at the tilt angle into the optical waveguide.

Abstract: A laser includes an active ring, a passive waveguide, and a reflector. The active ring is to generate light. The passive waveguide is associated with the active ring to capture generated light. The reflector is associated with the passive waveguide to cause captured light from the waveguide to be coupled into the active ring to trigger domination of unidirectional lasing in the active ring to generate light.

Abstract: Multibeam diffraction grating-based backlighting includes a light guide and a multibeam diffraction grating at a surface of the light guide. The light guide is to guide light from a light source. The multibeam diffraction grating is to couple out a portion of the guided light using diffractive coupling and to direct the coupled out portion away from the light guide as a plurality of light beams with different principal angular directions.

Abstract: A non-evanescent hybrid laser. The laser includes an elongated waveguide including grating reflectors defining a laser cavity, a thin-film dielectric adjacent the laser cavity, and a group III-V wafer carried by the waveguide adjacent the laser cavity, separated from the laser cavity by the dielectric, and in non-evanescent optical communication with the laser cavity.

Abstract: Planar, polarization insensitive, optical elements to control refraction of transmitted light in free space are disclosed. In one aspect, an optical element includes a substrate having a planar surface, and a polarization insensitive, high contrast, sub-wavelength grating composed of posts that extend from the planar surface. The grating has at least one region. Within each region, cross-sectional dimensions of the posts and/or lattice arrangement of the posts are nonperiodically varied to control refraction of light transmitted through the optical element.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present, invention are directed to surface-emitting lasers with the cavity including at least one single-layer, non-periodic, sub-wavelength grating. In one embodiment, a surface-emitting laser comprises a grating layer (112) configured with a non-periodic, sub-wavelength grating (122), a reflective layer, and a light-emitting layer (102) disposed between the grating layer and the reflector. The non-periodic, sub-wavelength grating is configured with a grating pattern that controls the shape of one or more internal cavity modes, and controls the shape of one or more external transverse modes emitted from the surface-emitting laser.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to optical devices comprising planar lenses. In one aspect, an optical device includes two or more planar lenses, and one or more dielectric layers. Each planar lens includes a non-periodic, sub-wavelength grating layer, and each dielectric layer is disposed adjacent to at least one planar lens to form a solid structure. The two or more planar lenses are substantially parallel and arranged to have a common optical axis so that light transmitted through the optical device substantially parallel to the optical axis is refracted by the two or more planar lenses.