Compact sorting of optical vortices by means of diffractive transformation optics

Abstract

The orbital angular momentum (OAM) of light has recently attracted a growing interest as a new degree of freedom in order to increase the information capacity of today optical networks both for free-space and optical fiber transmission. Here we present our work of design, fabrication and optical characterization of diffractive optical elements for compact OAM-mode division demultiplexing based on optical transformations. Samples have been fabricated with 3D high-resolution electron beam lithography on polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) resist layer spun over a glass substrate. Their high compactness and efficiency make these optical devices promising for integration into next-generation platforms for OAM-modes processing in telecom applications.