Radiation tolerant optical links for the readout of the ATLAS experiment

The ATLAS experiment will use radiation tolerant optical links to transfer data to and from sub-detector systems. The link specifications can be broadly divided into two classes, represented by the inner tracking detectors and the electromagnetic calorimeter. A feature common to all the readout links is the use of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser diodes coupled to multimode optical fibres. Results from the development for both of these environments are reviewed with particular attention being paid to irradiation studies.