Patent ID: 7142749

Claim:
An optical communication device comprising: a light focusing device; an input optical element optically coupled to the light focusing device, the input optical element operable to transmit a light signal so as to project the light signal through the light focusing device; a diffraction grating optically coupled to the light focusing device, the diffraction grating operable to diffract the light signal into spectral components and return the spectral components through the light focusing device, each spectral component having a respective passband profile; at least one output optical element operable to receive one of the spectral components from the light focusing device; and a spectral modifying element operable to transform the light signal primarily in a direction of dispersion associated with the diffraction grating to modify the passband profile of the spectral component prior to receipt of the spectral component by the at least one output optical element, and the spectral modifying element being disposed between the light focusing device and the diffraction grating.