Abstract: A PIC including a plurality of optically interconnectable functional photonic blocks and a reconfigurable optical connection arrangement having a plurality of semiconductor-based optical waveguides and a plurality of controllable optical switches, at least one controllable optical switch being configurable to be in a first state allowing optical transmission or a second state preventing optical transmission. Depending on the respective first or second state of the at least one controllable optical switch, the optical connection arrangement is configured to enable at least a first set of semiconductor-based optical waveguides to provide at least one optical connection between at least two functional photonic blocks and/or a first optical access path to at least one functional photonic block. An opto-electronic system including the PIC and to a method of improved determination of an overall performance of the PIC.

Abstract: An opto-electronic system including a PIC that includes a semiconductor-based tunable laser source that can achieve single-mode lasing thereby emitting optical radiation having a predefined linewidth at a predefined operating wavelength. The PIC also includes an optical measurement unit that can receive the optical radiation emitted by said laser source, and provide a signal representative for the received optical radiation to a control unit of the opto-electronic system that is operatively connected with said laser source and the optical measurement unit. The opto-electronic system enables omitting external optical measurement equipment thereby enabling a faster and cheaper way of locking of the predefined operating wavelength of said laser and achieving the predefined linewidth. A method of improved tuning of a semiconductor-based tunable laser source of an opto-electronic system.

Abstract: A dual-drive push-pull Mach-Zehnder modulator is provided that suppresses electrical common-mode signal components using differential input in order to mitigate parasitic phase shift effects. The modulator is configured with at least two phase shifting sections with each having a respective set of diodes. Drive signals for each phase shifter are swapped by swapping two waveguide arms in which the first and second set of diodes are constructed in a particular configuration such that the electric field applied by each drive signal in the second set of diodes is the negative of what such signal was in the first set of set of diodes. As the input optical signal propagates through the first waveguide arm and the second waveguide arm, each arm independently modulates the phase which are then re-combined to provide an optical output signal with at least one suppressed signal component.

Abstract: A dual-drive push-pull Mach-Zehnder modulator is provided that suppresses electrical common-mode signal components using differential input in order to mitigate parasitic phase shift effects. The modulator is configured with at least two phase shifting sections with each having a respective set of diodes. Drive signals for each phase shifter are swapped by swapping two waveguide arms in which the first and second set of diodes are constructed in a particular configuration such that the electric field applied by each drive signal in the second set of diodes is the negative of what such signal was in the first set of set of diodes. As the input optical signal propagates through the first waveguide arm and the second waveguide arm, each arm independently modulates the phase which are then re-combined to provide an optical output signal with at least one suppressed signal component.