Reconfigurable optical interconnects in free-space optical processing modules based on polarization-selective diffractive optical elements

Abstract

Free-space optical interconnects have been widely used in parallel optical information processing systems [1]. The growing complexity of the desired routing configurations has created an urgent need for data transparent, reconfigurable and flexible interconnections. Polarization has always played an important role in the realization of such interconnects, because of the possibility to route the optical data via an electro-optic control of its state of polarization.