Chip-scale beam-shaped optical wireless system for high-speed and energy-efficient connectivity

A new class of wireless technology is required to meet the surging global demand for data while significantly improving energy efficiency. We present a scalable, chip-based optical wireless system that addresses these challenges through the chip-scale integration of a custom-fabricated 5×5 array of 940-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers with tailored beam-shaping micro-optics. This platform establishes a new benchmark by demonstrating, for the first time in a single chip-scale system, a record aggregate data rate of 362.71 Gbps, energy consumption nearly half that of state-of-the-art WiFi, and integrated optics for uniform spatial beam shaping. The high data rate is achieved using spectrally efficient orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing, despite system performance being constrained by the 1.4 GHz bandwidth of a commercial receiver. In parallel, a compact multielement optical system generates a uniform grid of collimated beams with over 90% spatial uniformity at a 2-m distance, enabling structured, multiuser indoor coverage. To our knowledge, this is the first fully integrated platform to simultaneously achieve such high data throughput, low-energy consumption, and beam shaping on a chip-compatible scale. These findings establish a new reference point and foundational architecture for future programmable, high-capacity, and energy-conscious photonic wireless systems.