Amplification of LIDAR output signals

A LIDAR system, comprising:

• a LIDAR chip that generates a LIDAR output signal, the LIDAR chip including multiple LIDAR chip waveguides on a base, the LIDAR chip waveguides including a utility waveguide configured to carry one or more light signals selected from an outgoing LIDAR signal and an incoming LIDAR signal;
• and
• the LIDAR chip including an amplifier on the base, the amplifier having an amplifier waveguide defined in a gain medium that terminates at a first facet and a second facet, the amplifier being positioned such that the first facet is optically aligned with a facet of the utility waveguide but the second facet is not optically aligned with any of the LIDAR chip waveguides,
• the facet of the utility waveguide being at an angle between 75° and 85° relative to a direction of propagation of the utility waveguide at the facet of the utility waveguide, and
• the amplifier waveguide being curved such that the first facet is at an angle between 75° and 85° relative to a direction of propagation of the amplifier waveguide at the first facet and the second facet is at an angle of 90° relative to a direction of propagation of the amplifier waveguide at the second facet.

A LIDAR system, comprising:

• a LIDAR chip that generates a LIDAR output signal, the LIDAR chip including multiple LIDAR chip waveguides on a base, the LIDAR chip waveguides including a utility waveguide configured to carry one or more light signals selected from an outgoing LIDAR signal and an incoming LIDAR signal;
• and
• the LIDAR chip including an amplifier on the base, the amplifier having an amplifier waveguide defined in a gain medium that terminates at a first facet and a second facet, the amplifier being positioned such that the first facet is optically aligned with a facet of the utility waveguide but the second facet is not optically aligned with any of the LIDAR chip waveguides;
• the LIDAR chip including a signal combining component configured to combine a reference signal with a comparative signal so as to form a composite signal beating at a beat frequency,
• the comparative signal including light that has been reflected by an object located outside of the LIDAR system,
• the reference signal including light that has not been reflected by any object located outside of the LIDAR system,
• the reference signal including light from the outgoing LIDAR signal and the comparative signal including light from the outgoing LIDAR signal.