PERIODIC ARRAYED WAVEGUIDE GRATING MULTIPLEXER/DEMULTIPLEXER

The invention disclosed relates to a device for multiplexing / demultiplexin g a multi-band DWDM system, providing reduced insertion losses. The device comprises first and second planar waveguides, a light dispersive element having a periodic frequency spectrum, interconnecting the first and second planar waveguides, a plurality of N input waveguides, connected to the first planar waveguide, and a plurality of M output waveguides, connected to the second planar waveguide, wherein the M outputs are each separated by a frequency interval Af, the N inputs are each separated by M*Af, the free spectral rang e (FSR) = N*M*.DELTA.f, N is an integer greater than 1, and M is an integer equal to or greater than N. In one embodiment of the invention, wherein the telecommunications window is divided into a plurality of sub-bands of M channels, a temperature controller is included to provide individual temperature set points for each sub-band, to reduce wavelength centering errors.