Programmable Integrated Photonics is a recent area of research that aims to integrate a very-large scale of reconfigurable photonic resources to enable flexible and versatile photonic integrated circuits. In this paper we review the state of the art of general-purpose waveguide mesh arrangements with a special focus on those that allow the synthesis of optical feedback loops. Moreover, we propose for the first time three alternative waveguide mesh topologies that decouple the performance and the geometry of previously reported architectures while achieving a higher-component density integration. This innovation is of special relevance to mitigate one of the main scalability limitations, the integration area. The paper finalizes with an introduction to control algorithms for waveguide mesh arrangements based on derivative methods and non-derivative methods. These control methods provide a proof for the self-reconfiguration of large-scale waveguide mesh arrangements. In particular, we apply the computational optimization algorithms to program an hexagonal waveguide mesh to emulate a 1x8 beamforming network and an optical filter based on an unbalanced MZI design. All in all, the paper comprises recipes to achieve truly practical softwaredefined photonic integrated circuits.

No abstract

Microwave photonics (MWP) links and systems will have more losses as their complexities increase and there will be a need for incorporating optical amplification. Here, we report results of an analytical model developed for amplified arbitrary filtered MWP systems that provides the expressions of the main figures of merit for intensity modulation direct detection. It contemplates the cases of power, intermediate and pre amplification. The model is applied to a long MWP link and then it is evaluated in a MWP reconfigurable filter implemented by means of a programmable waveguide mesh photonic integrated circuit. RF Voltage Bias Voltage RF Out

Programmable integrated photonics deals with the configuration of software-defined functions employing general-purpose photonic hardware. In this paper we describe different re-configuration methodologies applied to optical and RF equalization

Software-defined Programmable Photonic ICs enable the dynamic configuration of their internal building blocks to realize the desired circuit. In this paper, we introduce basic and complex software algorithms to achieve multipurpose applications with a special focus on microwave photonics and report the experimental reconfigurations of the optical core for filtering and power splitting applications.