Patent ID: 8515278

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an optical transmitter configured to transmit a first optical signal to a plurality of optical network terminals (ONTs); a first splitter coupled to the optical transmitter and configured to split the first optical signal into a plurality of first signal copies; a plurality of second splitters coupled to the first splitter, wherein each second splitter is configured to be positioned between the first splitter and the ONTs, and wherein each second splitter is configured to receive one of the first signal copies from the first splitter, forward the first signal copies to the ONTs in a downstream direction, and forward a plurality of second optical signals received from at least some of the ONTs in an upstream direction; a plurality of separators positioned between the first splitter and the second splitters and configured to forward the first signal copies to the second splitters and forward the second optical signals along a plurality of single mode waveguides; a mode coupler coupled to the single mode waveguides and configured to receive the second optical signals and combine the second optical signals into a multi-mode waveguide; and an optical receiver coupled to the mode coupler via the multi-mode waveguide and configured to detect the second optical signals.