	US 12,461,303 B2
	Photonic integrated circuit, opto-electronic system and method
Sian Chong Jeffrey Lee, Kempen (DE); Tim Koene, Utrecht (NL); Tsjerk Hans Hoekstra, Heeze (NL); Niall Patrick Kelly, Eindhoven (NL); and Emil Kleijn, Son en Breugel (NL)
Assigned to EFFECT Photonics B.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Filed by EFFECT Photonics B.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Filed on Mar. 1, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/115,946.
Claims priority of application No. 22160033 (EP), filed on Mar. 3, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0280529 A1, Sep. 7, 2023
Int. Cl. G02B 6/12 (2006.01)

CPC G02B 6/12004 (2013.01) [G02B 6/12 (2013.01); G02B 6/12016 (2013.01); G02B 2006/12145 (2013.01); G02B 2006/12147 (2013.01)]

12 Claims

1. A photonic integrated circuit, PIC, comprising:

a plurality of optically interconnectable functional photonic blocks; and

a reconfigurable optical connection arrangement that comprises:

a plurality of semiconductor-based optical waveguides; and

a plurality of controllable optical switches, at least one of the controllable optical switches in response to a control signal being configurable to be in:

a first state in which optical transmission is allowed; or

a second state in which optical transmission is prevented;

wherein depending on the respective first state or second state of the at least one controllable optical switch of the plurality of controllable optical switches, the reconfigurable optical connection arrangement is configured to enable at least a first set of semiconductor-based optical waveguides of the plurality of semiconductor-based optical waveguides to provide:

at least one optical connection between at least two functional photonic blocks of the plurality of functional photonic blocks; and/or

a first optical access path to at least one functional photonic block of the plurality of functional photonic blocks;

wherein a first functional photonic block of the plurality of functional photonic blocks is configured and arranged to provide at least a part of an optical transmitter or a coherent optical transmitter, and a second functional photonic block of the plurality of functional photonic blocks is configured and arranged to provide at least a part of an optical receiver or a coherent optical receiver,

wherein the second functional photonic block of the plurality of functional photonic blocks comprises a 90-degree optical hybrid and a third functional photonic block of the plurality of functional photonic blocks comprises a laser unit, and

wherein the PIC comprises a fiber-to-chip coupling location that is optically connected with the 90-degree optical hybrid of the second functional photonic block and the laser unit of the third functional photonic block via the reconfigurable optical connection arrangement that comprises a first set of at least three optical splitter-combiner units and a third set of semiconductor-based optical waveguides of the plurality of semiconductor-based optical waveguides, wherein:

a first optical splitter-combiner unit of said first set has a first end part that is provided with at least a first optical interface and a second end part that is provided with at least a second optical interface and a third optical interface;

a second optical splitter-combiner unit of said first set has a third end part that is provided with at least a fourth optical interface and a fourth end part that is provided with at least a fifth optical interface and a sixth optical interface;

a third optical splitter-combiner unit of said first set has a fifth end part that is provided with at least a seventh optical interface and a sixth end part that is provided with at least an eighth optical interface and a ninth optical interface;

the first optical interface of the first optical splitter-combiner unit is optically interconnected with the 90-degree optical hybrid of the second functional photonic block via a first semiconductor-based optical waveguide of said third set;

the second optical interface of the first optical splitter-combiner unit is optically interconnected with the fifth optical interface of the second optical splitter-combiner unit via a second semiconductor-based optical waveguide of said third set;

the third optical interface of the first optical splitter-combiner unit is optically interconnected with the eighth optical interface of the third optical splitter-combiner unit via a third semiconductor-based optical waveguide of said third set;

the fourth optical interface of the second optical splitter-combiner unit is optically interconnected with the fiber-to-chip coupling location via a fourth semiconductor-based optical waveguide of said third set;

the sixth optical interface of the second optical splitter-combiner unit is optically interconnected with the ninth optical interface of the third optical splitter-combiner unit via a fifth semiconductor-based optical waveguide of said third set; and

the seventh optical interface of the third optical splitter-combiner unit is optically interconnected with the laser unit of the third functional photonic block via a sixth semiconductor-based optical waveguide of said third set.