Google Inc.

Jill Berger

Kevin Y Yasumura

Ryohei Urata

Steven M Swain

Lieven Verslegers

Liming Wang

Jan Petykiewicz

Tianran Liang

Xiang Zhou

Hong Liu

Pedram Zare Dashti

Thomas L Haslett

David Funk

Robert M Krause

A photonic integrated circuit chip includes a substrate and a wafer on the substrate. The wafer itself includes a photonic grating coupler with a taper portion and grating features. The grating features extend from the taper portion toward the substrate.

Substrate coupled grating couplers in photonic integrated circuits

An optical assembly includes a light source for providing a beam of light, a lens system configured to expand and collimate the beam of light, and a configurable beam injector, wherein the beam injector contains a first grid plate and a second grid plate to block individual beams of light. The first grid plate and the second grid plate may be configured such that each grid plate respectively corresponds to particular MEMS mirrors. The grid plates can be configured to have pathways that allow for beams of light to be passed through and other pathways which are blocked to prevent the passage of light. The first grid plate and second grid plate may thus block or allow for transmission of beams of lights to those particular MEMS mirrors. The second grid plate can be configured to be easily swappable during or removable to allow for a different set of beams of light, corresponding to a different set of MEMS mirrors, to be blocked. The second grid plate can be configured to be rotated or slid linearly within a housing.

Secondary grid plates for optical switching applications

An optical links diagnostic system (LDS) and its operation within an optical circuit switch (OCS) for measurement and diagnosis of fiber-optic network fiber performance and quality is disclosed. The LDS can contain two photodetectors, a laser source, and be coupled to an OCS. Optical circulators can further be linked to the OCS. The LDS can be used both as an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) or as an optical return loss (ORL) meter and can automate the diagnosis of the fiber optical network fiber insertion loss and return loss.

Optical link diagnostic system

A programmable beam blocker includes a liquid crystal based grid of pixels, one or more groups of pixels, or plurality of pixels, corresponding to individual beams of light. The application of a voltage through one pixel can change the phase of the liquid crystal material to prevent the transmission of light through it.

Programmable injector grid plate

An optical circuit switch including a two-dimensional fiber collimator includes a hole plate to hold and align a plurality of optical fibers. Fiber pathways within the hole plate can be formed using a femtosecond laser irradiation chemical etching (FLICE) technique. The use of the FLICE technique allows for extremely precise channels to be formed which allows for fibers to be aligned more closely with their intended alignment. The technique also allows for the channels or fiber pathways to be formed in a thicker material, which allows for greater structural support and robustness of the fiber collimator in use.

Glass fiber hole plates for 2D fiber collimators and methods for alignment and fabrication for optical switching applications

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for preventing or minimizing optical crosstalk in an optical circuit switch ('OCS'). The OCS may include a collimator lens assembly. The collimator lens assembly may include a lens array defined by a plurality of ports. Each port may include a lenslet and a spacer paired with each lenslet. Crosstalk may occur when light from other ports enter the target port's optical fiber. The collimator lens assembly may include an insert positioned relative to the lenslet. The insert may define an aperture that allows light from the target port to pass through. The insert may prevent a portion of light from adjacent ports from passing through the aperture. The insert may be located between the lenslet and spacer, on the curved surface of the lenslet, or on a plate located at a distance from the front of the lenslet.

Apertures for reduced dynamic crosstalk and stray light control

The present disclosure provides for an example integrated optics assembly. The integrated optics assembly may include an optics mount, a substrate including a heat sink, and a photonic integrated circuit ('PIC'). The optics mount may be adapted to support a light source on a first end of the optics mount. The first end of the optics mount may be coupled to a region of the substrate including the heat sink. The heat sink may remove or dissipate the heat produced by the light source. A second end of the optics mount may be coupled to the PIC such that the optics mount extends between the substrate and the PIC. This may decrease the amount of space the optics mount takes up on the PIC thereby allowing the overall size of the PIC to be decreased. Decreasing the size of the PIC may allow for more PICS per wafer.

Laser light source co-packaged with photonic integrated circuit and substrate

An apparatus including a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) coupled to an optical bench is disclosed. The PIC includes at least one grating coupler disposed thereon and the optical bench includes an optical system disposed thereon. The apparatus also includes an integrated heater at an upper surface of the PIC under the optical bench or at a bottom surface of the optical bench over the PIC. The apparatus also includes a layer of solder disposed between the PIC and the optical bench for coupling the bottom surface of the optical bench to the PIC. In some implementations, the layer of solder is in thermal communication with the integrated heater.

Integrated heater structures in a photonic integrated circuit for solder attachment applications

An apparatus and a camera system are provided. The apparatus includes an imaging screen configured to diffuse incoming light, and a lens system coupled to the imaging screen and configured to focus light from the imaging screen onto a CMOS image sensor. The imaging screen includes a ceramic diffuser layer fused into a surface of a glass substrate, and a thickness of the ceramic diffuser layer is within a range of about 7-10 &#x3bc;m.

Thin ceramic imaging screen for camera systems

An optical circuit switch includes a fiber hole array, a plurality of internal optical fibers, a collimating lens array, a MEMS mirror array, and a reflective surface. The fiber hole array includes an array of receptacles shaped to accept respective internal optical fibers. The collimating lens array is positioned adjacent to the fiber hole array. Each collimator of the collimating lens array optically couples light into or out of a corresponding one of the internal optical fibers. The fiber hole array, the collimator, the MEMS mirror array and the reflective surface are positioned relative to one another such that light exiting each of the internal optical fibers passes through its corresponding collimator and is redirected by a first mirror within the MEMS array towards the reflective surface, which directs the light back towards a second mirror of the MEMS mirror array, which in turn redirects the light towards a second internal optical fiber.

Inner and outer collimator elements for an optical circuit switch

An integrated optical assembly includes an optics mount. The optics mount has disposed thereon a light source for providing a beam of light and a lens configured to focus the beam of light. The integrated optical assembly includes a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) mechanically coupled to the optics mount. The PIC has disposed thereon a grating coupler for receiving the beam of light and coupling the beam of light into a waveguide. The integrated optical assembly includes a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) mirror configured to receive the beam of light from the lens and redirect it towards the grating coupler. A position of a reflective portion of the MEMS mirror is adjustable to affect an angle of incidence of the beam of light on the grating coupler.

MEMS steering mirrors for applications in photonic integrated circuits

A collimator device and a collimator lens array for an optical circuit switch are provided. The collimator includes a fiber array including multiple optical fibers disposed in a hole array. An optical lens array is aligned and coupled to the fiber array. A spacer is disposed between the fiber array and the optical lens array and provides substantially uniform spacing between lenses in the optical lens array and corresponding fibers in the fiber array. Multiple pads are positioned along edges of a surface of the spacer facing the optical lens array defining a first separation gap between the spacer and the optical lens array. A first epoxy bonds the spacer to the optical lens array, and a second epoxy bonds the spacer to the fiber array. The optical lens array includes a glass substrate having a first surface defining lenses in a two-dimensional array.

Growing community of inventors

Saratoga, CA, United States of America

Jill Berger