Abstract: A carbonation machine may include a carbonation head, a holder that is configured to hold a gas canister, the holder comprising a connector with a socket configured to enable linear insertion of a valve of the canister into the socket, the socket including a seal with at least one lateral opening to enable fluidic flow between one or more laterally oriented ports of the valve and a conduit of the holder while preventing leakage of gas from the fluidic flow, and a holding mechanism configured to hold a lateral projection from the canister after insertion of the valve into the socket such that the valve remains in the socket, and an activation mechanism configured to operate the valve to release the gas from the canister when inserted into the socket so as to enable the gas to flow via the conduit to the carbonation head.

Abstract: A laser assembly and a method for controlling light output thereof are presented. The laser assembly comprises a semiconductor laser diode having an active region and its associated electric current driver. The electric current driver is controllably operated to excite said active region to induce a certain electric current profile therethrough. The electric current profile corresponds to a desired emission profile from the laser assembly and a desired over heating profile of the active region of the laser diode, while maintaining predetermined temperature range of said active region of the semiconductor laser diode.

Abstract: Broadband optical switches based on adiabatic couplers having a pair of asymmetric waveguides with variable curvature sections include in a 2×2 configuration based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer two such adiabatic couplers, and in a 1×2 or 2×1 configuration an adiabatic coupler and an Y-splitter. Each adiabatic coupler includes two waveguide branches of different but constant widths having curved sections with varying radii, separated over a coupling length by a changing spacing therebetween and blending in an asymmetric intersection area, and two symmetric branches. In the 2×2 switch, the two adiabatic couplers face each other with their respective symmetric branches, and are connected by the two identical arms along a main propagation axis in a mirror image. The utilization of the variable curvature adiabatic couplers in silica MZI switches on a silicon substrate provides switches with an exceptional broadband range (1.2-1.

Abstract: A method and system of operating a variable optical attenuator to provide a required total attenuation in a planar lightwave circuit. The method comprises providing a first Mach-Zehnder interferometer having a first and a second arm carrying signals in an arbitrary polarization state, providing a second Mach-Zehnder interferometer having a third and a fourth arm carrying signals in an arbitrary polarization state, the second Mach-Zehnder interferometer concatenated in tandem with the first Mach-Zehnder interferometer, and cooperatively operating the concatenated first and second Mach-Zehnder interferometers to obtain the required total attenuation and an effectively nil polarization dependent loss.

Abstract: Broadband optical switches based on adiabatic couplers having a pair of asymmetric waveguides with variable curvature sections include in a 2×2 configuration based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer two such adiabatic couplers, and in a 1×2 or 2×1 configuration an adiabatic coupler and an Y-splitter. Each adiabatic coupler includes two waveguide branches of different but constant widths having curved sections with varying radii, separated over a coupling length by a changing spacing therebetween and blending in an asymmetric intersection area, and two symmetric branches. In the 2×2 switch, the two adiabatic couplers face each other with their respective symmetric branches, and are connected by the two identical arms along a main propagation axis in a mirror image. The utilization of the variable curvature adiabatic couplers in silica MZI switches on a silicon substrate provides switches with an exceptional broadband range (1.2-1.

Abstract: A method and system of operating a variable optical attenuator to provide a required total attenuation in a planar lightwave circuit.

Abstract: A broadband optical switch with high process tolerance designed and fabricated using Planar Lightwave Circuits (PLC) technology. A 2×2 configuration of the switch is based on a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) configuration that includes two 3 dB adiabatic couplers and two identical arms. Each adiabatic coupler is characterized by two straight branches having different widths, separated over a coupling length by a changing spacing therebetween and blending in a symmetric intersection area, which connect to two symmetric branches. The two adiabatic couplers are connected by the two arms with their symmetric branches facing each other along an optical propagation axis. Switch control is realized by changing an optical property of one or both of the MZI arms. Implementation in silica-on-silicon PLCs provides switches with an exceptional broadband range (1.2-1.7 &mgr;m), very high extinction ratios (>34 dB), low fabrication sensitivity and polarization independent operation.