Abstract: An optical device comprises a transmitter module, a receiver module, and a switch comprising a first port coupled to the transmitter module, a second port coupled to the receiver module, a third port configured to couple to a transmitter fiber, and a fourth port configured to couple to a receiver fiber. A method implemented in a switch, the method comprising operating in a monitor mode that provides for monitoring of a transmitter fiber or a receiver fiber, receiving a command to transition from the monitor mode to a data mode, connecting a transmitter module to the transmitter fiber, and connecting a receiver module to the receiver fiber.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a system for steering an input packet stream includes a traffic splitter configured to split an input packet stream into a first packet stream and a second packet stream, and a photonic switching fabric coupled to the traffic splitter, where the photonic switching fabric is configured to switch the first packet stream. The system may also include an electrical packet switching fabric coupled to the traffic splitter, where the electrical packet switching fabric is configured to switch the second packet stream, and a traffic combiner coupled to the photonic switching fabric and to the electrical packet switching fabric, where the traffic combiner is configured to merge the first switched packet stream and the second switched packet stream to produce a first packet flow.

Abstract: An optical coupler at an edge of a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) is provided and configured to match a mode of a waveguide of the PIC to a mode of an external optical fiber. A core of the waveguide terminates prior to the edge and can include an inverted taper for mode enlargement. The waveguide cladding includes an inverted taper and is surrounded by an outer cladding material of lower refractive index, forming a second waveguide. The cladding and outer cladding cooperate to guide light between the core and the edge while the inverted taper contributes to mode enlargement. The outer cladding material is selected to have a refractive index which facilitates the mode matching to optical fiber. The coupler can be provided using lithography. Material underneath the waveguide cladding can be removed by an undercutting process and the outer cladding material deposited in place thereof.

Abstract: An optical transmitter including an optical waveguide and N microring resonators (MRRs) coupled to the optical waveguide is provided. In such an optical transmitter each of the N MRRs having a different coupling coefficient determining the amount of coupling to the optical waveguide, wherein N>1. In some embodiments, each of the N MRRs has a different spacing distance from the optical waveguide, wherein the coupling coefficient for each MRR is dependent on the spacing. In some embodiments the optical transmitter further includes an input for receiving N drive signals from a controller, each drive signal shifting the resonant wavelength of the corresponding MRR to control the optical power coupled in the corresponding MRR from the optical waveguide in which an optical signal propagates.

Abstract: A system and method is described that enables autonomic discovery of wireless network security mechanisms by mobile devices. Stateful monitoring of wireless devices facilitates identification of pending network connectivity loss, enabling a handoff server to proactively advertise new points of access and their associated security mechanisms to devices before connectivity is lost. As a result, devices may seamlessly transition between secure networks. Stateful monitoring of device reachability may be used together with device certificates and/or tokens to decrease the potential of MAC spoofing and further secure the network. Stateful monitoring of device connectivity status during network transitions facilitates the identification of rogue access points. The token or certificate on the device may be used to authenticate the device while transitioning between networks by a centralized entity, managing the initiation and the execution of the handover for the device.

Abstract: The present application provides an electrostatic discharge guard structure for photonic platform based photodiode systems. In particular this application provides a photodiode assembly comprising: a photodiode (such as a Si or SiGe photodiode); a waveguide (such as a silicon waveguide); and a guard structure, wherein the guard structure comprises a diode, extends about all or substantially all of the periphery of the Si or SiGe photodiode and allows propagation of light from the silicon waveguide into the Si or SiGe photodiode.

Abstract: The present application provides an electrostatic discharge guard structure for photonic platform based photodiode systems. In particular this application provides a photodiode assembly comprising: a photodiode (such as a Si or SiGe photodiode); a waveguide (such as a silicon waveguide); and a guard structure, wherein the guard structure comprises a diode, extends about all or substantially all of the periphery of the Si or SiGe photodiode and allows propagation of light from the silicon waveguide into the Si or SiGe photodiode.

Abstract: Monitoring output power levels of a carrier-effect based switching cell allows phase errors resulting from driving a PIN or PN junction of the switching cell to be dynamically compensated for. The compensation may also allow for compensating of phase errors resulting from the phase imbalance of input couplers as well as phase errors from the waveguide due to fabrication variations. By dynamically compensating for phase errors caused by the driving of the PIN or PN junction, the extinction ratio of the carrier-effect based switching cell can be increased.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for an improved 2×1 switch cell design with integrated photodiode for off-state monitoring. In an embodiment, am optical switch comprises a 2×1 multi-mode interferometer (MMI) coupler including two input waveguides jointly coupled to an output waveguide, and a photodetector coupled to an edge of a first waveguide of the input waveguides, and positioned next to a side of the output waveguide. In another embodiment, an optical chip comprises two input waveguides parallel to each other, and an output waveguide coupled to the two input waveguides. The optical chip further includes a photodetector coupled to a first waveguide of the two input waveguides, and positioned next to the output waveguide, and a branch waveguide extending from the first waveguide into the photodetector.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for scalable photonic packet fabric architectures using photonic integrated circuit switches. The architectures use compact size silicon photonic circuits that can be arranged in a combined centralized and distributed manner. In an embodiment, an optical switch structure comprises a plurality of core photonic based switches and a plurality of photonic interface units (PIUs) optically coupled to the core photonic based switches and to a plurality of groups of top-of-rack switches (TORs). Each PIU comprises a N×N silicon photonic (SiP) switch optically coupled to a group of TORs associated with the PIU from the groups of TORs, where N is a number of the TORs in each group. The PIU also comprises a plurality of 1×P SiP switches coupled to the group of TORs associated with the PIU and to the core photonic based switches, where P is a number of the core photonic based switches.

Abstract: In one embodiment, method of photonic packet switching includes receiving, by a photonic switching fabric from a first top-of-rack (TOR) switch, a destination port request corresponding to a first photonic packet and a first period of time, where the destination port request includes a first output port and determining whether the first output port is available during the first period of time. The method also includes receiving, by the photonic switching fabric from the first TOR switch, the first photonic packet and routing the first photonic packet to the first output port when the first output port is available during the first period of time. Additionally, the method includes routing the first photonic packet to an alternative output port when the first output port is not available.

Abstract: An alignment system for aligning a field space concentrator (FSC) joined to a fiber array unit (FAU) with a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip includes a first sensor on the PIC chip that responds electrically to interaction with a first alignment element on the FSC, a second sensor on the PIC chip that responds electrically to interaction with a second alignment element on the FSC, and a processor electrically connected to the first and second sensors for receiving and processing signals from the first and second sensors to determine an alignment of the FSC with the PIC chip.

Abstract: An optical device comprises a transmitter module, a receiver module, and a switch comprising a first port coupled to the transmitter module, a second port coupled to the receiver module, a third port configured to couple to a transmitter fiber, and a fourth port configured to couple to a receiver fiber. A method implemented in a switch, the method comprising operating in a monitor mode that provides for monitoring of a transmitter fiber or a receiver fiber, receiving a command to transition from the monitor mode to a data mode, connecting a transmitter module to the transmitter fiber, and connecting a receiver module to the receiver fiber.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first photonic device comprising a waveguide loop configured to guide a first light from a first location of a surface to a second location of the surface, and a second photonic device comprising a light source configured to provide the first light, and a first alignment coupler optically coupled to the light source and configured to optically couple to the waveguide loop at the first location, a second alignment coupler configured to optically couple to the waveguide loop at the second location, and a photodetector optically coupled to the second alignment coupler and configured to detect the first light when the waveguide loop is aligned with the first alignment coupler and the second alignment coupler, and generate, based on the detection and on the received light, an electrical signal.

Abstract: An optical coupling input/output interface including a multilayer ribbon comprising a plurality of layers with each layer having a plurality of waveguides. The I/O interface further includes a coupling interface section, wherein the plurality of layers are staggered to allow for evanescent coupling of the waveguides of each layer with a corresponding layer of waveguides in a photonic device.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising a first photonic device comprising a waveguide loop configured to guide a first light from a first location of a surface to a second location of the surface, and a second photonic device comprising a light source configured to provide the first light, and a first alignment coupler optically coupled to the light source and configured to optically couple to the waveguide loop at the first location, a second alignment coupler configured to optically couple to the waveguide loop at the second location, and a photodetector optically coupled to the second alignment coupler and configured to detect the first light when the waveguide loop is aligned with the first alignment coupler and the second alignment coupler, and generate, based on the detection and on the received light, an electrical signal.

Abstract: Crosstalk can be suppressed in photonic switching fabrics by activating unused photonic elements in a manner that manipulates the inactive connections and inhibits the propagation of cross-talk over the switching fabric. For example, unused photonic elements can be set to a cross or bar configuration to block first and second order crosstalk from propagating to the output ports, thereby reducing noise in the output signals. All of the unused elements can be activated in order to maximize crosstalk suppression. Alternatively, fewer than all of the unused elements may be activated to achieve a balance between crosstalk suppression and power conservation. Photonic switch architectures can be configured to use pre-determined cross-talk suppression maps (e.g., patterns of activated unused cells) for the various switching configurations, which may be computed using a recursive algorithm.

Abstract: In one embodiment, optical node includes an input port configured to receive an input optical frame and a first optical switch coupled to the input port, where the first optical switch is configured to remove the input optical frame to produce a removed input optical frame when an address of the input optical frame is a node address of the optical node and to pass the input optical frame to a second optical switch when an address of the input optical frame differs from the address of the optical node. The optical node also includes the second optical switch coupled to the first optical switch, where the second optical switch is configured to output the input optical frame to an output port when the address of the input optical frame is not the node address of the optical node and the address of the input optical frame is not an empty address.

Abstract: Recursive optimization algorithms can be used to determine which idle photonic switching elements to configure in N×N switching fabrics to achieve crosstalk suppression. Different algorithms are used to achieve different levels of optimization. Embodiment full optimization techniques may configure all inactive cells to reduce crosstalk, and consequently may provide the best noise performance and highest power usage. Partial optimizations may configure fewer than all inactive cells to reduce crosstalk, and may provide sub-optimal noise performance at lower power usages. Differential partial optimization algorithms configure inactive cells in different stages of a photonic switching fabric. Fewer than all cells in a given stage may be configured by some algorithms.

Abstract: In one embodiment, method of wrapping photonic packets includes receiving, by a node, a first packet and receiving, by the node, a second packet. The method also includes concatenating the first packet and the second packet to produce a concatenated frame, where concatenating the first packet and the second packet includes removing an inter-packet-gap (IPG) between the first packet and the second packet and converting the concatenated frame to a photonic frame, where the concatenated frame is an electrical frame.