Scientists have developed a terahertz (THz) transmitter capable of signal transmission at a per-channel data rate of >10 Gb/s over multiple channels at ~300 GHz. The aggregate multi-channel data rate exceeds 100 gigabits per second. The transmitter was implemented as a silicon CMOS integrated circuit, which would have a great advantage for commercialization and consumer use.
This technology could open a new frontier in wireless communication with data rates 10X higher than current technology allows. The THz band is a new, vast frequency resource not currently used for wireless communications. Its frequencies are even higher than those used by the mm-wave wireless local area network (57 GHz to 66 GHz), and bandwidths are much wider. Since the speed of a wireless link is proportional to the bandwidth in use, THz is ideally suited to ultrahigh-speed communications. The transmitter that 275 GHz to 305 GHz. This frequency range is currently unallocated, and its future frequency allocation is to be discussed at the World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) 2019 under the International Telecommunication Union Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R).
Today, most wireless communication technologies use lower frequencies (5 GHz or below) with high-order digital modulation schemes, such as the quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), to enhance data rates within limited bandwidths available. The research group has successfully demonstrated that QAM is feasible at 300 GHz with CMOS and THz wireless technology could offer a serious boost in wireless communication speed. “Now THz wireless technology is armed with very wide bandwidths and QAM-capability. The use of QAM was a key to achieving 100 gigabits per second at 300 GHz,” said Prof. Minoru Fujishima.
“Today, we usually talk about wireless data-rates in megabits per second or gigabits per second. But I foresee we’ll soon be talking about terabits per second. That’s what THz wireless technology offers. Such extreme speeds are currently confined in optical fibers. I want to bring fiber-optic speeds out into the air, and we have taken an important step toward that goal,” he added. “We plan to develop receiver circuits for the 300GHz band as well as modulation and demodulation circuits that are suitable for ultrahigh-speed communications,” said Prof. Fujishima. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-02/hu-twt021016.php
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