Abstract: A laser may include a lower semiconductor structure and an upper semiconductor structure. The lower semiconductor structure may include a lower waveguide along a top side of the lower semiconductor structure. The upper semiconductor structure may include an upper waveguide along a bottom side of the upper semiconductor structure. The upper semiconductor structure may be positioned over the top side of the lower semiconductor structure such that a first portion of the upper waveguide vertically overlaps a second portion of the lower waveguide. A coupler between the upper waveguide and the lower waveguide may couple optical energy of the upper waveguide to the lower waveguide. The lower waveguide may comprise semiconductor material having a wider bandgap than semiconductor material of the upper waveguide.

Abstract: A method of forming a semiconductor device may include providing semiconductor substrate having a substrate top side and a dielectric layer along the substrate top side and forming a first mask layer over the dielectric layer. The method may include forming a lower cladding wall and an upper cladding wall via a first opening in the first mask layer. The method may also include forming a second mask layer over the dielectric layer and forming side cladding walls via second openings in the second mask layer. Various semiconductor devices having a buried waveguide in formed via the method are also disclosed.

Abstract: A transmitter modulates a first polarization signal at a wavelength with a first data signal using intensity modulation. The transmitter modulates a second polarization signal at the same wavelength with a second data signal using intensity modulation. The transmitter combines the modulated, polarization signals and generates an output signal. A receiver includes a photodetector that receives the output signal and generates an electrical output signal including components of both modulated, polarization signals. A signal processing circuit implements correlation techniques or matching filters to recover the first and second data signal from the electrical output signal.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a planar structure having a top surface, a bottom surface, and an edge; and an optical grating located near or at the top surface and having a regular pattern of features. The planar structure has a cavity, and a portion of the cavity is located between opposing portions of the top and bottom surfaces. The optical grating is adjacent to the edge and is over, at least a part of the cavity. The apparatus includes an optically reflective coating on a portion of a wall of the cavity below the optical grating. The cavity has an opening along a portion of the edge of the planar structure.

Abstract: An optical apparatus comprising an optical device having an optical input-output face, at least two planar waveguide arms being located on a substrate, an optical splitter being located on the substrate, and, an optical grating coupler being located on the substrate. The optical splitter has an optical input and a plurality of optical outputs, each optical output being optically connected to a corresponding one of the planar waveguide arms. The optical grating coupler is connected to receive light from each planar waveguide arm and form diffraction pattern therefrom such that a principal maximum of one of the diffraction patterns overlaps with a principal maximum of another of the diffraction patterns on the optical input-output face of the optical device, the principal maxima of the one and another of the diffraction patterns being directed in different directions.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an electronic digital signal processor having electrical inputs for receiving a first sequence of measurements of values of a transmitted modulated optical carrier received in a coherent optical receiver and having electrical outputs for a stream of determined transmitted data values demodulated therein from the first sequence. The electronic digital signal processor has first circuitry to determine phase offsets of received pilot values from the first sequence. Additionally, the electronic digital signal processor has second circuitry to correct phase offsets of received ones of the data values from the determined phases of pilot values and data values being temporally interleaved in the transmitted modulated optical carrier. A system and a method are also included.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to an apparatus including: a first substrate including a planar dielectric layer on a semiconducting layer, and a silicon layer located directly on a planar surface of the dielectric layer, adjacent first and second segments of the silicon layer being optically end-coupled, the first segment being thicker than the second segment; and a second substrate including a III-V semiconductor layer segment on a top surface thereof, the first and second substrates being bonded together such that the III-V semiconductor layer segment is in direct contact with a portion of the first segment of the silicon layer.

Abstract: An optical apparatus comprising an optical device having an optical input-output face, at least two planar waveguide arms being located on a substrate, an optical splitter being located on the substrate, and, an optical grating coupler being located on the substrate. The optical splitter has an optical input and a plurality of optical outputs, each optical output being optically connected to a corresponding one of the planar waveguide arms. The optical grating coupler is connected to receive light from each planar waveguide arm and form diffraction pattern therefrom such that a principal maximum of one of the diffraction patterns overlaps with a principal maximum of another of the diffraction patterns on the optical input-output face of the optical device, the principal maxima of the one and another of the diffraction patterns being directed in different directions.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an electronic digital signal processor having electrical inputs for receiving a first sequence of measurements of values of a transmitted modulated optical carrier received in a coherent optical receiver and having electrical outputs for a stream of determined transmitted data values demodulated therein from the first sequence. The electronic digital signal processor has first circuitry to determine phase offsets of received pilot values from the first sequence. Additionally, the electronic digital signal processor has second circuitry to correct phase offsets of received ones of the data values from the determined phases of pilot values and data values being temporally interleaved in the transmitted modulated optical carrier. A system and a method are also included.

Abstract: The locking of optical carriers to a grid can be achieved by employing an optical filter that exhibits athermal behavior in a frequency range to lock at least the frequency of a first channel to a target frequency. The locked frequency may be used to tune and lock the location of the free spectral range of a bandpass filter having transmission peaks at intervals, e.g., an FSR, corresponding to the target grid. The bandpass filter is used generate feedback signals that are used to lock the remaining frequencies to the grid. The athermal filter may be integrated on a silicon photonic integrated circuit.

Abstract: A transmitter modulates a first polarization signal at a wavelength with a first data signal using intensity modulation. The transmitter modulates a second polarization signal at the same wavelength with a second data signal using intensity modulation. The transmitter combines the modulated, polarization signals and generates an output signal. A receiver includes a photodetector that receives the output signal and generates an electrical output signal including components of both modulated, polarization signals. A signal processing circuit implements correlation techniques or matching filters to recover the first and second data signal from the electrical output signal.

Abstract: An apparatus includes a planar structure having a top surface, a bottom surface, and an edge; and an optical grating located near or at the top surface and having a regular pattern of features. The planar structure has a cavity, and a portion of the cavity is located between opposing portions of the top and bottom surfaces. The optical grating is adjacent to the edge and is over, at least a part of the cavity. The apparatus includes an optically reflective coating on a portion of a wall of the cavity below the optical grating. The cavity has an opening along a portion of the edge of the planar structure.

Abstract: The locking of optical carriers to a grid can be achieved by employing an optical filter that exhibits athermal behavior in a frequency range to lock at least the frequency of a first channel to a target frequency. The locked frequency may be used to tune and lock the location of the free spectral range of a bandpass filter having transmission peaks at intervals, e.g., an FSR, corresponding to the target grid. The bandpass filter is used generate feedback signals that are used to lock the remaining frequencies to the grid. The athermal filter may be integrated on a silicon photonic integrated circuit.

Abstract: An apparatus comprising an optical filter located on a substrate. The optical filter including an optical splitter configured to receive an input light and an interferometer having two waveguide arms having different optical path-lengths from each other. The waveguide arms configured to receive the input light from the optical splitter. At least a portion of one of the two waveguide arms has a narrower core width than a wider core width of the other waveguide arm. The waveguide arm with the longest waveguide portion having the narrower core width has the longest total physical path-length of the two waveguide arms. At least one of the two waveguide arms having a set of discrete waveguide portions, the discrete waveguide portions of the set being connected by optical switches which are configured to tunably select from a plurality of different physical path-lengths through the discrete waveguide portions of the at least one waveguide arm.

Abstract: Various exemplary embodiments relate to an apparatus including: a first substrate including a planar dielectric layer on a semiconducting layer, and a silicon layer located directly on a planar surface of the dielectric layer, adjacent first and second segments of the silicon layer being optically end-coupled, the first segment being thicker than the second segment; and a second substrate including a III-V semiconductor layer segment on a top surface thereof, the first and second substrates being bonded together such that the III-V semiconductor layer segment is in direct contact with a portion of the first segment of the silicon layer.

Abstract: Various embodiments relate to a method, device, and machine-readable storage medium including: an optical modem, the optical modem being configured to negotiate a format of an optical communication session with a remote optical transceiver via an optical fiber link; and wherein the optical modem is configured to select a transmission optical wavelength channel for transmitting data of the optical communication session in response to sensing the optical fiber link for light emission and determining that the transmission optical wavelength channel is unused based on the sensing.

Abstract: We disclose an optical transport system configured to transport data using a PDM-modulation format, in which each of two orthogonal polarizations is independently amplitude-modulated, and the relative phase between the carrier waves of the two polarizations may also be modulated. This modulation format enables the optical receiver to perform direct optical detection using a Stokes-vector detector to fully recover the encoded data.

Abstract: An acoustic noise attenuator is disclosed comprising a movable body, an energy storage element and an electrical energy dissipater. The movable body is configured to oscillate when a mechanical disturbance caused by a sound wave, such as acoustic noise, is incident thereon. The oscillation of the movable body induces an alternating electrical energy in the energy storage element. The electrical energy dissipater dissipates the induced electrical energy in the form of heat. An acoustic noise attenuator assembly and a metamaterial structure comprising such acoustic noise attenuators are also disclosed.

Abstract: The present application is directed an optical gyroscope. The optical gyroscope includes a substrate including a first and a second waveguide disposed thereon. One or both of the waveguides may be doped with a rare-earth material. A crossing element is disposed between the first and the second waveguides to form a substantially orthogonal connection therebetween. The application is also directed to a system including an optical gyroscope. The application is further directed to a method of observing characteristics of the optical gyroscope.

Abstract: An apparatus according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a substrate, at least one semiconductor light-detector on the substrate and an optical waveguide on the substrate. The optical waveguide is configured to guide light to the at least one light-detector, one or more vias in a surface of the substrate or one or more ridges on the surface of the substrate. The one or more vias or ridges are configured to at least partially interrupt light propagating along the surface toward the at least one semiconductor light-detector from outside the optical waveguide.