Piezoelectric Beam Path Modulation for Visible Light Communication

Within the development of Beyond 5G and Sixth Generation (6G) wireless systems new communication technologies keep pushing toward high frequencies up to visible light to reduce interference and increase data rates. Many different modulation methods are available, and it is not clear yet which technique will be represented most frequently in future Visible Light Communication (VLC). As more and more demanding tasks are left to Artificial Intelligence and machines in the industry as well as in healthcare, it is essential to add further layers of resilience and security to off-the-shelf state-of-the-art VLC systems, regardless of the underlying modulation method. Therefore, in this work, two methods to modulate the physical beam path of a narrow laser beam utilizing piezoelectric mirror actuators, which can be implemented at a later stage onto existing VLC systems are proposed. While piezoelectric systems are established for specific tasks like beam stabilization in laser physics, the application in a modulation scheme for data transmission is new. The proposed concept is evaluated in the scope of upcoming wireless solutions including challenges and performance predictions. Piezoelectric beam path modulation is identified as a flexible method to enhance existing VLC systems with an additional layer of resilience and, when paired with appropriate intrusion detection mechanisms, improving security likewise.