Abstract: A wide field-of-view sensor or projector includes a transparent substrate with one or more apertures on one side, and one or more chip stacks joined to the opposite side. Each chip stack includes a flat optics layer (e.g., metasurface), at least one spacer layer, an optional filter layer, and either an image sensor or a light source. In one example, two apertures and two corresponding chip stacks are provided; both chip stacks include image sensors but different metasurfaces and filters to capture different information from the scene. In an alternative embodiment, the two chip stacks include a light source and an image sensor, to function as a light projector and a light receiver, respectively. In other examples, two apertures and a single chip stack are provided, where the single chip stack include two metasurface and/or two filters corresponding to the two apertures.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the disclosure provide an air intake bypass recirculation structure with adjustable air entraining amount and controllable broadband noise which includes main body of the air intake bypass recirculation structure and an air entraining amount adjusting structure. In some examples, an air intake bypass recirculation cavity is formed in the main body of the air intake bypass recirculation structure. An air inlet of an air intake pipe and an air outlet of the air intake pipe are formed in two ends of the main body of the air intake bypass recirculation structure respectively. An airflow inlet of the air intake bypass recirculation structure and an airflow outlet of the air intake bypass recirculation structure are formed in the inner side of the main body of the air intake bypass recirculation structure. The air entraining amount adjusting structure is arranged in the air intake bypass recirculation cavity.

Abstract: An artificial intelligence (AI) accelerator device may include a plurality of on-chip mini buffers that are associated with a processing element (PE) array. Each mini buffer is associated with a subset of rows or a subset of columns of the PE array. Partitioning an on-chip buffer of the AI accelerator device into the mini buffers described herein may reduce the size and complexity of the on-chip buffer. The reduced size of the on-chip buffer may reduce the wire routing complexity of the on-chip buffer, which may reduce latency and may reduce access energy for the AI accelerator device. This may increase the operating efficiency and/or may increase the performance of the AI accelerator device. Moreover, the mini buffers may increase the overall bandwidth that is available for the mini buffers to transfer data to and from the PE array.

Abstract: A 3D range imaging method using a LiDAR system includes sequentially generating multiple far field patterns to illuminate a target scene, each far field pattern including a plurality of light spots where each spot illuminates only a segment of a scene region unit that corresponds to a sensor pixel of the LiDAR receiver. Within each scene region unit, the multiple segments illuminated in different rounds are non-overlapping with each other, and they collectively cover the entire scene region unit or a part thereof. With each round of illumination, the signal light reflected from the scene is detected by the sensor pixels, and processed to calculate the depth of the illuminated segments. The calculation may take into consideration optical aberration which causes reflected light from an edge segment to be received by two sensor pixels. The depth data calculated from the sequential illuminations are combined to form a ranged image.

Abstract: A switched optical phased array based beam steering LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system includes an integrated photonics optical phased array (OPA) that includes an optical switching network for selectively connecting a large number of 1D scanning (in a first direction or field-of-view) antenna arrays to a light source. Each array is configured to emit light in a predefined angle of a second direction or field-of-view and can be switched individually to connect to the light source. At any given time, the phase shifters of only one such array, i.e. the one that is switched to connect the light source, are actively adjusted by the control circuits, so that the active power consumption is greatly reduced. The LiDAR system also includes a photo sensor receiver, other control and signal processing circuits, and other necessary optical and mechanical components.

Abstract: A frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) imaging light detection and ranging (LiDAR) system includes an integrated photonic circuit based coherent pixel array sensor having a large number of coherent pixels. Each pixel receives both the frequency-modulated signal light from a local light source (LO) and the returned signal light reflected from a section of the target scene through an imaging optical system. At each pixel, the LO light and the returned light are mixed locally by an optical mixer and then detected locally by an integrated photodetector. The electrical signal from each pixel is used to calculate scene distance using FMCW LiDAR principles. The LO signal is distributed into each pixel by an on-chip optical switch and routing circuit. An optical phased array may be used to split the source beam into the LO light and the target illumination light and to steer the illumination light.

Abstract: A switched optical phased array based beam steering LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system includes an integrated photonics optical phased array (OPA) that includes an optical switching network for selectively connecting a large number of 1D scanning (in a first direction or field-of-view) antenna arrays to a light source. Each array is configured to emit light in a predefined angle of a second direction or field-of-view and can be switched individually to connect to the light source. At any given time, the phase shifters of only one such array, i.e. the one that is switched to connect the light source, are actively adjusted by the control circuits, so that the active power consumption is greatly reduced. The LiDAR system also includes a photo sensor receiver, other control and signal processing circuits, and other necessary optical and mechanical components.

Abstract: A 3D range imaging method using a LiDAR system includes sequentially generating multiple far field patterns to illuminate a target scene, each far field pattern including a plurality of light spots where each spot illuminates only a segment of a scene region unit that corresponds to a sensor pixel of the LiDAR receiver. Within each scene region unit, the multiple segments illuminated in different rounds are non-overlapping with each other, and they collectively cover the entire scene region unit or a part thereof. With each round of illumination, the signal light reflected from the scene is detected by the sensor pixels, and processed to calculate the depth of the illuminated segments. The calculation may take into consideration optical aberration which causes reflected light from an edge segment to be received by two sensor pixels. The depth data calculated from the sequential illuminations are combined to form a ranged image.

Abstract: An optical interconnect system has first and second waveguides each with wedge-shaped cross-section at a first end, disposed over an optical modulator. The optical modulator is a surface-plasmon multi quantum well (SP-MQW) modulator, the first waveguide an input waveguide and the second waveguide configured an output waveguide. In embodiments the SP-MQW modulator has multiple semiconductor layers disposed atop a lower metal layer between 10 and 300 nanometers thick and configured such that incident light is reflected at the lower metal layer unless a voltage is applied to the semiconductor layers, when incident light is coupled into a surface plasmon mode in the lower metal layer.

Abstract: An on-chip optical phased array includes an array of photonic antenna units connected in series by photonic waveguides and arranged in a two-dimensional array to produce complex still and scanning optical patterns through optical interference effect. Each antenna unit includes an output photonic antenna (e.g. grating antenna), and a waveguide phase shifter for adjusting the optical phase of the optical beam output by the antenna unit. The grating antenna and the waveguide phase shifter are formed in the same optical wave guiding layer which includes a core layer between two cladding layers. The grating antennas may be a shallow-etched structure or a deep-etched edge-modulated grating. The optical phased array, including the array of photonic antenna units and the electrodes that connect and provide electrical power to them, can be made on a single chip of silicon using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or compatible fabrication processes.

Abstract: An on-chip optical phased array includes an array of photonic antenna units connected in series by photonic waveguides and arranged in a two-dimensional array to produce complex still and scanning optical patterns through optical interference effect. Each antenna unit includes an output photonic antenna (e.g. grating antenna), and a waveguide phase shifter for adjusting the optical phase of the optical beam output by the antenna unit. The grating antenna and the waveguide phase shifter are formed in the same optical wave guiding layer which includes a core layer between two cladding layers. The grating antennas may be a shallow-etched structure or a deep-etched edge-modulated grating. The optical phased array, including the array of photonic antenna units and the electrodes that connect and provide electrical power to them, can be made on a single chip of silicon using complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) or compatible fabrication processes.

Abstract: An optical waveguide modulator device includes two optical waveguides forming a Mach-Zehnder interferometer structure and two co-planar waveguide (CPW) traveling-wave electrodes (TWEs). Each optical waveguide includes a plurality of segmented phase tuning sections (phasers). The segmented phasers are folded multiple times and the segments are perpendicular to the TWE electrodes. The phase of the optical signal passing through the optical waveguide is electrically tunable by electrical signals applied to the optical modulator device through the two CPW TWE electrodes. The lengths of the connecting sections between adjacent phaser segments are design such that the wave fronts of microwave and optical wave can be matched after each phaser segment. The CPW TWE electrodes are connected by a plurality of capacitive loading phaser segments, which can effectively reduce the characteristic impedance of the TWE electrodes.

Abstract: An optical interconnect system has first and second waveguides each with wedge-shaped cross-section at a first end, disposed over an optical modulator. The optical modulator is a surface-plasmon multi quantum well (SP-MQW) modulator, the first waveguide an input waveguide and the second waveguide configured an output waveguide. In embodiments the SP-MQW modulator has multiple semiconductor layers disposed atop a lower metal layer between 10 and 300 nanometers thick and configured such that incident light is reflected at the lower metal layer unless a voltage is applied to the semiconductor layers, when incident light is coupled into a surface plasmon mode in the lower metal layer.

Abstract: An optical waveguide mode transformer device includes a first optical waveguide bend structure and a second optical waveguide bend structure formed by vertically stacked multiple layers of light transparent media. One of the core layers of the optical waveguide bends has a higher refractive index and the other has a lower refractive index. The waveguide centers of the two optical bend structures are de-centered. The bend structure having higher refractive index core layer terminates at a location of the mode transformer device between its two ends. With proper bend structure design, the optical power can be completely transferred from the high index waveguide to the low index waveguide with the help of such vertical stacked de-centered bend structure.

Abstract: An optical device includes a substrate and an optical rib waveguide structure formed of a slab and a rib. A vertically-oriented P-N-P or N-P-N dual-junction diode is formed inside the rib waveguide, including a first doped region, a second doped region and a third doped region electrically connected to the first doped region, where two P-N junctions are formed at the boundaries of the first and the second doped regions, and the second and the third doped regions, respectively. The depletion regions of the two junctions are substantially in the center of a guided optical mode propagating at the core region through the rib waveguide. The optical device further includes a first metal contact and a second metal contact in electrical contact with the first doped region and the second doped region, respectively.

Abstract: The invention provides methods of forming an optical device, in particular, a silicon optical modulator using shallow rib waveguide structure. According to the embodiments of the present invention, the silicon optical waveguide modulator includes a shallow rib waveguide with asymmetric shoulder heights disposed on a surface of a substrate; one side terminated by the waveguide edge and the other side terminated by a second laterally oriented PN junction, a first vertically oriented PN junction is positioned inside the light propagation region of the waveguide; and higher doping regions with the same type of doping type of the adjoining regions are positioned on the asymmetric shoulders outside the light propagation regions in electrical contact with metal contacts.

Abstract: An optical device includes an optical bench and two flip-chip bonded optical chips. The optical bench includes a large area slab waveguide structure which has an input facet facing the first optical chip, an output facet facing the second optical chip, and one or more curved facet which reflects the slab mode light such that the input optical mode coupled through the input facet diverges in the slab waveguide plane as it propagates, reflects at the one or more curved facets, and focuses to an output optical mode at the output facet with mode size larger than the input optical mode in the in-plane direction. During fabrication, after the first optical chip is flip-chip bonded, the location of the focused output optical mode on the output facet is determined, and then the second optical chip is flip-chip bonded based on the determined location of the output optical mode.

Abstract: An optical device includes a substrate and an optical rib waveguide structure formed of a slab and a rib. A vertically-oriented P-N-P or N-P-N dual-junction diode is formed inside the rib waveguide, including a first doped region, a second doped region and a third doped region electrically connected to the first doped region, where two P-N junctions are formed at the boundaries of the first and the second doped regions, and the second and the third doped regions, respectively. The depletion regions of the two junctions are substantially in the center of a guided optical mode propagating at the core region through the rib waveguide. The optical device further includes a first metal contact and a second metal contact in electrical contact with the first doped region and the second doped region, respectively.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical system, in particular, a multi-channel parallel optical transceiver system with monitoring photodetectors and methods of forming the same. The multi-channel parallel optical system includes a substrate with at least one optical component mounted on the first side, at least one optical monitoring photodetector (mPD) fabricated on the first side of the substrate, a set of optical functional components disposed on the first side of the substrate to guide and reflect the light signal, an arrayed fiber placement structure fixing at least one optical fiber and having an exposed end to couple with the optical functional components to guide and diffract light from and to the optical components mounted on the first side of the substrate. The optical alignment of the optical placement structure, optical functional components, and the optical components mounted on the substrate is realized passively through the alignment holes and pins.

Abstract: An optical device including an optical bench and an optical chip, the optical bench having multiple optical waveguides formed on its first side and the optical chip has multiple optical waveguides formed on its first side. The optical chip is flip-chip bonded onto the optical bench with its first side facing the first side of the optical bench. The distance between adjacent waveguides on the optical bench are designed to be slightly different from the distance between adjacent waveguides on the optical chip, where the latter usually is a pre-designed value under certain conventions. The difference amount is properly designed such that under reasonable misalignment between the optical chip and the optical bench in the in-plane direction perpendicular to waveguide propagation one can always find that one of the multiple waveguides is aligned sufficiently well with the corresponding waveguide on the optical chip.