NICOP - Advanced Terahertz Communication Systems based on Uni-Traveling-Carrier Photodiode Transmitters and Plasmonic Photoconductive Receivers
Abstract
The objective of the proposed research program is to enhance spectral access by developing a newgeneration of high data rate wirele"ss communication systems at terahertz carrier frequencies for indoorcommunication applications. For this purpose, we intend to desi""gn, implement, and experimentallydemonstrate a directional terahertz transceiver system based on a uni-traveling-carrier photodiode"" (UTC-PD)terahertz transmitter and a plasmonic photoconductive terahertz receiver, which offer significantly highersignal-to-noise" ratio (SNR) levels compared to existing technologies while operating at high terahertz carrierfrequencies. The proposed work presents an entirely new perspective on the potential use of terahertzbandwidth for increasing wireless communication data rates to levels that could not be envisioned before dueto low output power and detection sensitivity of existing terahertz transmitters and rece"ivers. This limitationcan be tackled through use of UTC-PDs and plasmonic photoconductive receivers, which offer significantlyhigh""er terahertz radiation powers and detection sensitivities compared to other terahertz transmitter/receivercandidates, respectively."" During the proposed three-year research program, we intend to focus on adirectional line-of-sight (LoS) communication system for a"n indoor communication link between twospecific devices. We plan to work on an 80 Gbit/s communication link with a carrier frequency in the 650GHz or 850 GHz frequency range for a 10 meter link and increase its data rate to 160 Gbit/s by the end of theproposed research program.Introduction: High-speed wireless communication hasattracted extensive attention in the past decades becauseof dramatic changes in the ways people create and shareinformation. The expected data rate to satisfy the needsof the customers is p"rojected to be 100 Gbit/s by 2020(Fig. 1) [1]. However, the speed of today s wirelesscommunication systems is limited by the narro"wbandwidth of existing transmitters and receivers and theheavy use of the electromagnetic spectrum up to 60 GHz[2]. This trend has been forcing researchers to push thecarrier frequencies of transceivers to higher frequenciesto allow operation at frequency bands which have notbeen allocated to any specific active service yet [3-7]. In Fig 1. Trends in speed of wireless technology [1].ord"er to increase the channel capacity, researchers have been trying to operate at terahertz frequencies, whichcover the frequency ran"ge of 0.3-10 THz in the electromagnetic spectrum. While communication systemswith such high carrier frequencies have been hard to d"evelop so far, we believe a data link operating atterahertz frequencies with data rates exceeding 100 Gbit/s over 10-20 meters dist"ance is now viable thanks torecent advancements in terahertz photonics and electronics. A system with this capability can be verysuitable for the next generation indoor wireless communication systems such as wireless local area networksand wireless personal are"a networks (WLANs/WPANs), kiosk downloads, wireless backhauling, data centerconnection, and real-time data analysis for wearable de"vices.One of the main challenges for developing terahertz communication systems is the relatively low radiationpower and detection sensitivity of terahertz transmitters and receivers in comparison with their radiofrequency (RF) counterparts. From the electronic" side, IMPATT diodes, Gunn diodes, resonant tunnelingdiodes, and chains of frequency multipliers [8-10] have demonstrated very prom""ising compact terahertzsources. However, this category of sources has limited bandwidth, low power efficiency and low outputpower" levels. Electron beam devices such as backward wave oscillators [11] and travelling wave tuberegenerative amplifiers [12] can prod"uce reasonable power levels, but their bulky nature and theirrequirement for high magnetic fields and vacuum limits their use in va""rious operational settings [13]. On theoptical side, quantum
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 20, 2017
- Source ID
- N629091812015
Entities
People
- Tadao Nagatsuma
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- Osaka University
- United States Navy