Patent ID: 7106923

Claim:
A dispersion compensator comprising: a first 1XM coupler: a first MXN coupler coupled to the first 1XM coupler; a second MXN coupler coupled to the first MXN coupler; and a second 1XM coupler coupled to the second MXN coupler; wherein, M and N are greater than 2, and the coupling ratios of the first MXN coupler, and the second MXN coupler are selected such that the dispersion compensator provides a desired amount of dispersion compensation, and wherein, the first 1XM coupler and the first MXN coupler, and the second MXN coupler and the second 1XM coupler, are respectively coupled using an array of M waveguides having an adjacent waveguide path-length difference of about ΔL, and wherein, the first MXN coupler and the second MXN coupler are coupled using an array of N waveguides having an adjacent waveguide path-length difference of about 2ΔL.