Metasurface-enabled OAM transmitters for high-capacity optical wireless links

Light beams carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) offer an additional degree of freedom of light, enabling advances in microscopy, holographic imaging, quantum photonics, and high-speed optical communications. However, OAM transmitters at telecom wavelengths are constrained by bulky free-space optics, high-power lasers, and complex configurations, hindering scalable, low-cost integration. Metasurfaces offer efficient generation and manipulation of OAM beams within ultrathin formats. Here, we demonstrate a proof-of-concept vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) combined with a dielectric metasurface to generate high-purity OAM beams at 1310 nm in the telecommunications band for optical wireless communication. While not monolithically integrated, this approach establishes a functional precursor that leverages the scalability, low power consumption, and high modulation bandwidth of VCSELs together with the wavefront-shaping capabilities of metasurfaces. Experimental validation at 1310 nm, together with dual-band operation at 1550 nm and broadband scalability supported by simulations, shows that metasurface-enabled OAM emission can be achieved across multiple telecom bands. By bridging semiconductor lasers with flat optics, our approach establishes a practical stepping stone toward future integrated transmitters that could combine low-power consumption, scalability, and advanced wavefront control for high-capacity optical wireless links.