Patent ID: 7593444

Claim:
A multiple wavelength optical light source, comprising: an array of four or more gain mediums, wherein each gain medium supplies a band of wavelengths different than the other gain mediums; a multiplexer/demultiplexer, wherein each of the four or more gain mediums couple to its own port of the multiplexer/demultiplexer; and a wavelength reflector to route a portion of an optical signal as regenerative feed back through the multiplexer/demultiplexer to a first gain medium of the array, wherein the multiplexer/demultiplexer filters to define the band of wavelengths developed by the first gain medium, wherein at least a portion of the four or more gain mediums, the wavelength reflector, and the multiplexer/demultiplexer forming a structure of the gain mediums is grown from a substrate, wherein at least one gain medium of the array has a facet at a non-normal angle to an optical waveguide providing the portion of the optical signal to that gain medium.