Tap couplers for fiber optic arrays

A tap coupler device comprising:

• a substrate having one or more waveguides therein for carrying optical signals, each waveguide having an output end on an output surface of the substrate for emitting the optical signals from the waveguide into free space, wherein the output surface of the substrate including the output ends of the waveguides is inclined with respect to a plane normal to a direction of the waveguides at the output surface for reflecting a portion of the optical signals from the waveguides toward a top surface of the substrate;
• and
• one or more receiving optical fibers mounted on the top surface of the substrate, each receiving fiber being disposed at an angle with respect to the top surface and having an end disposed near the output end of a waveguide for receiving the portion of the optical signals reflected from the output end of the waveguide, the one or more receiving optical fibers acting as taps for the tap coupler device.