We report an 8-channel wavelength-mode optical pulse interleaver on a silicon photonic chip. Wavelength- and mode-division multiplexing techniques are combined to increase the repetition rate of the pulses without adding the complexity of a single dimension. The interleaver uses a cascaded Mach–Zehnder interferometer architecture as a wavelength-division (de)multiplexer, an asymmetric directional coupler as a mode (de)multiplexer, and various lengths of silicon waveguides as delay lines. A pulse sequence with a time interval of 125 ps is implemented with the repetition rate being eight times that of the initial one. The demonstrated wavelength-mode multiplexing approach opens a new route for the generation of high-speed optical pulses.

Optical delay lines (ODLs) are one of the key enabling components in photonic integrated circuits and systems. They are widely used in time-division multiplexing, optical signal synchronization and buffering, microwave signal processing, beam forming and steering, etc. The development of integrated photonics pushes forward the miniaturization of ODLs, offering improved performances in terms of stability, tuning speed, and power consumption. The integrated ODLs can be implemented using various structures, such as single or coupled resonators, gratings, photonic crystals, multi-path switchable structures, and recirculating loop structures. The delay tuning in ODLs is enabled by either changing the group refractive index of the waveguide or changing the length of the optical path. This paper reviews the recent development of integrated ODLs with a focus on their abundant applications and flexible implementations. The challenges and potentials of each type of ODLs are pointed out.