US 12,253,716 B1
Photonic circuits with selectable number of input ports
Long Chen, Marlboro, NJ (US)
Filed by Acacia Communications, Inc., Maynard, MA (US)
Filed on Jun. 29, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/915,315.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/915,377, filed on Oct. 15, 2019.
Int. Cl. G02B 6/125 (2006.01); G02B 6/12 (2006.01)
CPC G02B 6/125 (2013.01) [G02B 2006/121 (2013.01); G02B 2006/12121 (2013.01); G02B 2006/1215 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a photonic integrated circuit (PIC) comprising:
a semiconductor substrate;
an optical interconnect comprising
V optical parallel output channels; and
U optical laser input ports,
wherein a selectable subset of the U optical input ports are selectable for a first use case and connected to L lasers, wherein L is less than or equal to U, and
wherein the PIC is operable to output light on some or all of the V optical output channels in response to a different number of active lasers connected to the U optical laser input ports, wherein the optical interconnect comprises W optical elements, wherein each of the W optical elements comprises at least two optical output channels, wherein each of the U optical laser input ports is in optical communication with at least two of the V optical output channels, wherein V is greater than U, wherein each of the W optical elements are formed in or on a portion of the semiconductor substrate, wherein L is one or more lasers, wherein at least three W optical elements in the PIC are in optical communication in a Y-shaped topology, wherein W is greater than or equal to three, wherein at least two of the W optical elements are four port devices, wherein at least one of the W optical elements is a three port device, and wherein one of the W optical elements is an active optical splitter having an adjustable splitting ratio.