Patent ID: 6741772
Filing Date: 2004-05-25
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
An optical multiplexer/demultiplexer comprising:one or more optical input waveguides; a first sector slab waveguide connected to an output side of the one or more optical input waveguides, the first sector slab waveguide comprising a core and a plurality of guide waveguides formed in the core, each guide waveguide having an effective refractive index that is greater than an effective refractive index of areas of the core not within each guide waveguide, the guide waveguides branching at a center of curvature of the first sector slab waveguide and extending from an edge of an input side to an edge of the output side of the first sector slab waveguide without intersecting one another; an arrayed waveguide connected to an output side of the first sector slab waveguide and having a plurality of waveguides to propagate an output optical signal, any two adjacent waveguides differing in length by a constant value, the width of each of the guide waveguides being greater than a distance between a center of any two adjacent waveguides of the arrayed waveguide at the output side of the first sector slab waveguide; a second sector slab waveguide connected to an output side of the arrayed waveguide; and a plurality of optical output waveguides connected to an output side of the second sector slab waveguide.