Design scheme for Mach – Zehnder interferometric coarse wavelength division multiplexing splitters and combiners

I propose an analytical approach to design flattened wavelength splitters with cascaded Mach–Zehnder inter- ferometers when wavelength dependence of the directional couplers cannot be neglected. I start from a geo- metrical representation of the action of a doubly point-symmetrical filter, assuming no wavelength dependence of the couplers. Next I derive the analytical formulas behind its working principle and extend them to the wavelength-dependent case. I also show how the geometrical representation allows one to broaden the class of working structures. © 2006 Optical Society of America