Patent ID: 8095010
Filing Date: 2012-01-10
Classification: G02B,H04J

Abstract:
1. An optical device comprising: an optical splitter having an input port, a first output port, a second output port and a resonant structure comprising at least a resonator, the optical splitter being adapted to receive at said input port an optical signal comprising a plurality of channels lying on a grid of optical frequencies equally spaced by a frequency spacing and occupying an optical bandwidth, and wherein said optical splitter is adapted to output at said first and second output ports, respectively, a first and a second portion of said optical signal, said second portion comprising the channels lying on a second sub-grid of optical frequencies spaced by an integer multiple of said frequency spacing and the first portion comprising the remaining channels lying on a first sub-grid, wherein the resonant structure is capable of resonating with the optical frequencies of the second portion so that, in operation, the second portion is output at the second output port by interaction with the resonant structure; an optical combiner having a first input port, a second input port, and an output port and adapted to receive at said first and second input ports, respectively, the first and the second portion and to output the first and second portions at said output port; a first optical path optically connecting the first output port of the optical splitter to the first input port of the optical combiner and capable of propagating said first portion; a second optical path optically connecting the second output port of the optical splitter to the second input port of the optical combiner and capable of propagating said second portion; and an optical filter optically coupled to the second optical path and capable of filtering a channel within said second portion propagating through the second optical path, wherein the optical combiner comprises at least one resonant structure comprising at least a resonator and is capable of resonating with the optical frequencies of the first portion so that, in operation, the first portion is output at said output port by interaction with said at least one resonant structure.