An integrated photonics-based front-end chip (350, 400) for coupling light into and out of an optical gyroscope component, the front-end chip comprising: a laser source producing light, wherein the laser source comprises one or more semiconductor lasers; control electronics for the laser source; an input coupler (302, 402) that couples the light from the laser source into an integrated photonics waveguide structure of the integrated photonics-based front end chip that propagates the coupled light in the form of a guided optical beam towards the optical gyroscope component; one or more optical mode-selective filters (1360, 1362) integrated with the integrated photonics waveguide structure to select a preferred optical mode of the guided optical beam, wherein at least one of the optical mode-selective filters comprises a plurality of multi-mode interference filters in series; at least one optical splitter (306, 308, 406, 408) in the path of the guided optical beam to produce a first branch and a second branch of the guided optical beam; a phase modulator (320, 322, 420, 422) that modulates optical phases of the first branch and the second branch of the guided optical beam relative to each other; a first output coupler (332a, 432a) that couples the first branch of the guided optical beam with a first end of a gyroscope waveguide structure on the optical gyroscope component; a second output coupler (332b, 432b) that couples the second branch of the guided optical beam with a second end of the gyroscope waveguide structure on the optical gyroscope component; and an optical detector (338, 438) coupled with the at least one optical splitter, wherein the optical detector receives an optical signal representing an optical phase difference in the return paths of the first branch and second branch of the guided optical beam after traveling within the gyroscope waveguide structure on the optical gyroscope component and after being coupled back to the integrated photonics waveguide structure via the first output coupler and the second output coupler. a laser source producing light, wherein the laser source comprises one or more semiconductor lasers; control electronics for the laser source; an input coupler (302, 402) that couples the light from the laser source into an integrated photonics waveguide structure of the integrated photonics-based front end chip that propagates the coupled light in the form of a guided optical beam towards the optical gyroscope component; one or more optical mode-selective filters (1360, 1362) integrated with the integrated photonics waveguide structure to select a preferred optical mode of the guided optical beam, wherein at least one of the optical mode-selective filters comprises a plurality of multi-mode interference filters in series; at least one optical splitter (306, 308, 406, 408) in the path of the guided optical beam to produce a first branch and a second branch of the guided optical beam; a phase modulator (320, 322, 420, 422) that modulates optical phases of the first branch and the second branch of the guided optical beam relative to each other; a first output coupler (332a, 432a) that couples the first branch of the guided optical beam with a first end of a gyroscope waveguide structure on the optical gyroscope component; a second output coupler (332b, 432b) that couples the second branch of the guided optical beam with a second end of the gyroscope waveguide structure on the optical gyroscope component; and an optical detector (338, 438) coupled with the at least one optical splitter, wherein the optical detector receives an optical signal representing an optical phase difference in the return paths of the first branch and second branch of the guided optical beam after traveling within the gyroscope waveguide structure on the optical gyroscope component and after being coupled back to the integrated photonics waveguide structure via the first output coupler and the second output coupler.