Tunable wavelength gain chip array for sensing and communication

An array of surface-emitting gain chips comprising:

• a common substrate;
• plural gain chips formed on the common substrate, each configured to generate a light beam;
• plural optical couplers, each located on a top surface of a corresponding gain chip of the plural gain chips;
• plural optical fibers, each connected with one end to a corresponding optical coupler of the plurality of optical couplers;
• a feedback control mechanism connected to the plural optical fibers and configured to switch between a first optical path that has a wavelength tunning element and a second optical path that does not have a wavelength tunning element;
• and
• a single optical fiber connected to the feedback control mechanism and configured to output the combined light beams.

A method for making an array of gain chips, the method comprising:

• providing a common substrate;
• forming plural gain chips on the common substrate, each configured to generate a corresponding light beam;
• adding plural optical couplers on corresponding top surfaces of the plural gain chips;
• optically connecting plural optical fibers to corresponding one of the plurality of optical couplers;
• optically connecting an array wide optical coupler to the plural optical fibers;
• and
• optically connecting a single optical fiber to the array wide optical coupler to output the combined light beams.