Abstract: An optical communication system, device, and method are disclosed. An illustrative optical communication system is disclosed to include a carrier Integrated Circuit (IC) chip having an amplifier circuit, a bias plane, and a ground plane. The amplifier circuit, bias plane, and the ground plane may each operate at or above a nominal voltage of zero volts. A laser diode may be integrated with an electro-absorption modulator into a single IC chip, where the laser diode is mounted on the carrier IC chip and is electrically connected with the amplifier circuit of the carrier IC chip through a bond wire.

Abstract: An optical communication system, a transmitter, a receiver, and methods of operating the same are provided. In particular, a transmitter is disclosed as being configured to encode optical signals in accordance with a multi-level coding scheme. The receiver is configured to provide skew correction to the optical signals received from the transmitter by dividing a received signal into separate level-specific components and sampling each of the components with distinct sampling blocks.

Abstract: Embodiments of an apparatus are described. In one embodiment, the apparatus is an optical navigation circuit. In particular, the optical navigation circuit may be part of an optical navigation device. The optical navigation circuit includes an image sensor, dynamic reconfiguration logic, and a digital signal processor. The image sensor includes a pixel array to generate a plurality of electrical signals corresponding to incident light at the pixel array. The dynamic reconfiguration logic is coupled to the image sensor. The dynamic reconfiguration logic is configured to receive the plurality of electrical signals from the pixel array and to generate a plurality of reconfigured electrical signals based on the plurality of electrical signals from the pixel array. The digital signal processor is coupled to the dynamic reconfiguration logic. The digital signal processor is configured to receive the plurality of reconfigured electrical signals from the dynamic reconfiguration logic.

Abstract: An optical communication system, a transmitter, a receiver, and methods of operating the same are provided. In particular, a transmitter is disclosed as being configured to encode optical signals in accordance with a multi-level coding scheme. The receiver is configured to provide receive and decode to the optical signals received from the transmitter. One or both of the receiver and transmitter are configured to compensate for non-idealities or non-linearities introduced into the communication system by optical components of the system.

Abstract: An optical communication system, a transmitter, a receiver, and methods of operating the same are provided. In particular, a transmitter is disclosed as being configured to encode optical signals in accordance with a multi-level coding scheme. The receiver is configured to provide skew correction to the optical signals received from the transmitter by dividing a received signal into separate level-specific components and sampling each of the components with distinct sampling blocks.

Abstract: An optical communication system, a transmitter, a receiver, and methods of operating the same are provided. In particular, a transmitter is disclosed as being configured to encode optical signals in accordance with a multi-level coding scheme. The receiver is configured to provide receive and decode to the optical signals received from the transmitter. One or both of the receiver and transmitter are configured to compensate for non-idealities or non-linearities introduced into the communication system by optical components of the system.

Abstract: A method for measuring the high speed behavior of fiber optic transceivers and transceiver modules. The method includes providing a fiber optic transceiver, performing one or more low speed performance tests on the fiber optic transceiver at each of a plurality of temperatures across transceiver operating temperature range, and performing a high speed performance test suite on the fiber optic transceiver at a single temperature within the testing temperature range. Based on the low speed performance tests and the high speed performance test suite at the single temperature, the method can determine, via calculation, approximation or prediction, the high speed behavior of the transceiver over temperature. The basis for determining the high speed behavior of the transceiver also can include the measured or available modeled relationships of high speed performance characteristics of at least a portion of the transceiver to the temperature-dependent parameters measured in the low speed performance tests.

Abstract: A technique for adapting an optical navigation device for navigation on a transparent structure such as a glass plate involves establishing a navigation window for navigation tracking, detecting reflected light within the navigation window, generating an output signal in response to the detected light, and adjusting a characteristic of the navigation window in response to the output signal. An optical navigation device includes an illumination system configured to output light, an image sensor configured to generate an output signal related to a detected portion of the light, and a transparent structure adapter module configured to adjust a navigation window of the image sensor in response to the output signal to adapt the optical navigation device for use directly on an opaque surface or for use on a transparent structure that is located between the optical navigation device and the opaque surface.

Abstract: Embodiments of an apparatus are described. In one embodiment, the apparatus is an optical navigation circuit. In particular, the optical navigation circuit may be part of an optical navigation device. The optical navigation circuit includes an image sensor, dynamic reconfiguration logic, and a digital signal processor. The image sensor includes a pixel array to generate a plurality of electrical signals corresponding to incident light at the pixel array. The dynamic reconfiguration logic is coupled to the image sensor. The dynamic reconfiguration logic is configured to receive the plurality of electrical signals from the pixel array and to generate a plurality of reconfigured electrical signals based on the plurality of electrical signals from the pixel array. The digital signal processor is coupled to the dynamic reconfiguration logic. The digital signal processor is configured to receive the plurality of reconfigured electrical signals from the dynamic reconfiguration logic.

Abstract: A technique for adapting an optical navigation device for navigation on a transparent structure such as a glass plate involves establishing a navigation window for navigation tracking, detecting reflected light within the navigation window, generating an output signal in response to the detected light, and adjusting a characteristic of the navigation window in response to the output signal. An optical navigation device includes an illumination system configured to output light, an image sensor configured to generate an output signal related to a detected portion of the light, and a transparent structure adapter module configured to adjust a navigation window of the image sensor in response to the output signal to adapt the optical navigation device for use directly on an opaque surface or for use on a transparent structure that is located between the optical navigation device and the opaque surface.

Abstract: A method for measuring the high speed behavior of fiber optic transceivers and transceiver modules. The method includes providing a fiber optic transceiver, performing one or more low speed performance tests on the fiber optic transceiver at each of a plurality of temperatures across transceiver operating temperature range, and performing a high speed performance test suite on the fiber optic transceiver at a single temperature within the testing temperature range. Based on the low speed performance tests and the high speed performance test suite at the single temperature, the method can determine, via calculation, approximation or prediction, the high speed behavior of the transceiver over temperature. The basis for determining the high speed behavior of the transceiver also can include the measured or available modeled relationships of high speed performance characteristics of at least a portion of the transceiver to the temperature-dependent parameters measured in the low speed performance tests.

Abstract: Thickness measurement based navigation apparatus and methods are described. An apparatus includes a thickness sensor system and a processing system. The thickness sensor system produces a respective set of measurements of thickness of an object at six or more locations through a surface of the object during each of multiple thickness measurement cycles. The processing system produces motion measures indicative of movement in relation to the object from ones of the sets of thickness measurements. In accordance with a method, a respective set of measurements of thickness of an object is generated at six or more locations through a surface of the object during each of multiple thickness measurement cycles. Motion measures indicative of movement in relation to the object are generated from ones of the sets of thickness measurements.

Abstract: A traveling wave optical modulator on X-cut lithium niobate is disclosed which has improved bandwidth capability along with a low switching voltage requirement and good impedance matching. In accordance with another aspect of the disclosed invention, the impedance of a traveling wave optical modulator may be increased to a desired input impedance without adversely affecting the drive voltage or velocity matching of the modulator. This is accomplished by reducing the width of the ground electrodes to not more than 3 times the width of the hot electrode.

Abstract: An optical circuit element for processing single mode light. The element is of the type that includes input and output waveguides that communicate with an intermediate waveguide network. The input and output waveguides are designed to support only the fundamental mode of light throughout a predetermined optical wavelength range while the waveguides of the intermediate waveguide network can support higher order modes. By maintaining adiabatic optical path transitions throughout the element, cross-coupling between the fundamental and higher order modes is avoided so that broad wavelength range single mode signal processing is achieved.

Abstract: A sampler that can be used to sample optical or electrical signals, having an improved sensitivity-resolution product compared to conventional samplers. A coded switched electrode modulator has electrodes that produce polarity reversals in an applied voltage signal in accordance with a pseudorandom code having small sidelobes. An optical signal is injected into an optical waveguide that is oriented parallel to the electrodes. When the optical signal is proportional to the coded electrode pattern, the device is used as an electrical sampler. When the applied voltage signal is proportional to the coded electrode pattern, the device is used as an optical sampler.

Abstract: A travelling wave modulator in which the phase velocity of a first wave is modulated by a second travelling wave. Means are provided to alter the polarity of the second wave in accordance with a pseudorandom code. Barker codes and Golay codes are particularly suitable for improving the bandwidth-to-voltage ratio of the modulator over a comparable conventional modulator.