Abstract: Programmable waveguide coders are disclosed that include one or more corrugation segments and one or more spacer segments formed on or in a waveguide defined by a core in an electro-optic substrate. Each of the corrugation segments and the spacer segments are independently controllable with voltages applied to each segment's electrodes. The spacer segments permit application of a phase modulation to an input while the corrugation segments act as tunable gratings, wherein a center grating wavelength is tunable by applying a voltage to an electrode associated with the corrugation segment. In some embodiments, coders include only corrugation segments or only spacer segments. Such coders can be strain tuned or thermally tuned. The coders can be programmatically tuned to code or decode a time-wavelength code or other code.

Abstract: Encoders and decoders for applying composite codes to optical data signals include encoders and decoders for applying both subcodes and supercodes. The subcodes have a duration selected as less than or equal to an interchip duration or a chip duration of the supercodes. The encoders and decoders (“coders”) include fiber Bragg gratings configured to encode or decode a subcode, a supercode, or a composite code. By coding with a subcode coder and a supercode coder, a coder is reconfigurable by selecting different subcodes or supercodes. Communication systems and methods using composite codes are also described.