Data transparent reconfigurable optical interconnections based on polarization-switching VCSELs and polarization-selective diffractive optical elements

A polarization-switching VCSEL is combined with an anisotropic diffractive optical element to demonstrate, for the first time, reconfigurable free-space optical interconnects at a rate of 30 MHz. The same set of components is also used in a proof-of-principle demonstrator for data transparent reconfigurable optical interconnects at a bit rate of 1 MHz and a reconfiguration rate of 40 kHz.