Patent ID: 7027215

Claim:
An optical component comprising: an optical main path in which light is guided from a light input end to a light output end; a first optical coupler and a second optical coupler respectively provided on said optical main path; a first optical side path provided between said first and second optical couplers and adjacent to a part of said optical main path, wherein a first Mach-Zehnder interferometer is comprised of said first optical side path and said first and second optical couplers; a third optical coupler and a fourth optical coupler respectively provided on said optical main path; a second optical side path provided between said third and fourth optical couplers and adjacent to a part of said optical main path, wherein a second Mach-Zehnder interferometer is comprised of said second optical side path and said third and fourth optical couplers; a third optical side path provided between said second and third optical couplers and adjacent to said optical main path; a first temperature controller for controlling a temperature of at least one of a part of said optical main path located between said first and second optical couplers, and said first optical side path; a second temperature controller for controlling a temperature of at least one of a part of said main path located between said third and fourth optical couplers, and said second optical side path; and a first filter circuit provided on at least one of a part of said optical main path located between said second and third optical couplers, and said third optical side path, said filter circuit having a wavelength-dependent insertion loss.