Patent ID: 8260096

Claim:
A photonic integrated circuit, comprising: a semiconductor substrate; a plurality of lasers provided on the semiconductor substrate, each of the plurality of lasers providing a corresponding one of a plurality of optical signals, each of the plurality of optical signals having a corresponding one of a plurality of wavelengths; a plurality of active devices provided on the semiconductor substrate, each of the plurality of active devices transmitting at least a portion of a corresponding one of the plurality of optical signals to thereby supply a corresponding one of a plurality of optical outputs, each of the plurality of active devices being configured to pass a corresponding one of a plurality of electrical currents, such that an intensity of each of the plurality of optical outputs is based, at least in part, on a respective one of the plurality of electrical currents, one of the plurality of active devices including a bent portion, such that one of the plurality of optical signals propagates in a first direction upon entering said one of the plurality of active devices and propagates in a second direction upon exiting said one of the plurality of active devices, the first direction being different than the second direction, said one of the plurality of active devices being selected from a group consisting of a phase modulator and a variable optical attenuator (VOA); and an optical combiner provided on the semiconductor substrate, the optical combiner having a plurality of optical input ports, each of which receiving a corresponding one of the plurality of optical outputs, the optical combiner supplying a wavelength division multiplexed signal including the plurality of optical outputs.