Patent ID: 8923672

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising a passive arrayed-waveguide-grating (AWG) router that comprises: a first optical star coupler having a first optical waveguide coupled to a first edge thereof and a first lateral array of optical waveguides coupled to an opposite second edge thereof; and a second optical star coupler having the first lateral array of optical waveguides coupled to a first edge thereof and a second lateral array of optical waveguides coupled to an opposite second edge thereof; wherein the passive AWG router is configured to route a first carrier wavelength applied to the first optical waveguide to both a first optical waveguide of the second lateral array and a second optical waveguide of the second lateral array, said first and second optical waveguides of the second lateral array being separated from one another by at least one other optical waveguide positioned between them in said second lateral array; and wherein the passive AWG router is configured to transfer approximately equal portions of optical power of said first carrier wavelength to the first optical waveguide of the second lateral array and to the second optical waveguide of the second lateral array.