Near-Infrared OAM Communication Using 3D-Printed Microscale Spiral Phase Plates

We report the use of 3D-printed microscale spiral phase plates to generate orbital angular momentum (OAM) carrying beams. We confirm that the generated beams have high purity, and we have successfully tested them to convey data signals with low bit error rates at the wavelength of 980 nm. This method will open new opportunities for generating OAM beams for many applications in optical communications, including free-space optics, as well as underwater, chip-tochip, and quantum communications.