A novel type of wavelength demultiplexer is presented based on a generalized multimode interference/Mach Zehnder interferometer (MMI-MZI) configuration. This device combines the potential of low loss and high uniformity of the output channels with a small device size. Feasibility of the novel concept is demonstrated experimentally for a 4-channel demultiplexer with 4 nm channel spacing. Dimensions are 2800*106 mu m, which is the smallest device size reported so fa