Abstract: The technology disclosed in this patent document for optical devices for modulating light using nonlinear optical materials exhibiting electro-optical effects. Suitable nonlinear optical materials can be formed over a silicon-based semiconductor substrate via a silicon processing compatible process. In one application, such a device can be implemented for steering light based on a unique two-dimensional array of phased optical modulators using integrated photonic chip fabrication technologies to provide high performance and small footprint device packaging. The phased optical modulators can be phase shifting elements, each of which can be configured as a vertical-cavity surface-emitting phase shifter (VCSEP) to provide effective phase changes via both the control of the optical refractive index of the nonlinear optical material and the metal-dielectric surface plasmon effect.

Abstract: The present invention provides optical computing by means of fast Fourier transform Integration on Silicon On Insulator chip technology with implementation in the analog and temporal domain. This is done by cascading (N?2) stages of delayed interferometers (couplers and phase shifters) where a parallel set of N time samples are taken and using the delay lines and phase of the optical components (constructive/deconstructive interference) the DFT is computed. The Optical Fast Fourier Transform (OFFT) design was built on passive components (2×2 couplers: cascaded Mach Zehnder Interferometer) used for addition and subtraction through optical interference, waveguides with short path differences are used for phase shifting and waveguides with long path differences are used for signal delay based on the needed number of outputs. Since the OFFT is a system of imbalanced interferometers, there are additional bends designed to compensate for the difference in power ratios of the arms.

Abstract: The present invention provides optical computing by means of fast Fourier transform Integration on Silicon On Insulator chip technology with implementation in the analog and temporal domain. This is done by cascading (N?2) stages of delayed interferometers (couplers and phase shifters) where a parallel set of N time samples are taken and using the delay lines and phase of the optical components (constructive/deconstructive interference) the DFT is computed. The Optical Fast Fourier Transform (OFFT) design was built on passive components (2×2 couplers: cascaded Mach Zehnder Interferometer) used for addition and subtraction through optical interference, waveguides with short path differences are used for phase shifting and waveguides with long path differences are used for signal delay based on the needed number of outputs. Since the OFFT is a system of imbalanced interferometers, there are additional bends designed to compensate for the difference in power ratios of the arms.