A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) may be optically aligned to a plurality of optical components (e.g., an optical fiber array). Optical alignment may be facilitated by the use of an optical impedance element coupled between a first input/output (I/O) optical waveguide and a second I/O optical waveguide of the PIC. The optical impedance element me be configured to be transmissive during optical alignment and to be non-transmissive during the regular operation of the PIC.