Transcript
The increasing data requirements of technologies like autonomous vehicles and 6G mobile communications are fast reaching the limits of today’s devices. So, modulating terahertz waves is crucial for the future of telecommunications. Until now, the ability to make electronic devices faster has come down to a simple principle: scaling down transistors and other components. But this approach is reaching its limit, as the benefits of shrinking are counterbalanced by detrimental effects like resistance and decreased output power.
Instead of shrinking the devices, a team of researchers at EPFL’s POWERLab rearranged them by etching patterned contacts called meta-structures at sub-wavelength distances onto a semiconductor made of gallium nitride and indium gallium nitride. These meta-structures allow the electrical fields inside the device to be controlled, yielding extraordinary properties that do not occur in nature.
This gives them great potential for applications in 6G communications and beyond. The details of this breakthrough were recently published in the journal Nature.
While the most advanced devices on the market today can achieve frequencies of up to 2 THz, the POWERlab’s meta-devices can reach 20 THz. Similarly, today’s devices operating near the terahertz range tend to break down at voltages below 2 volts, while the meta-devices can support over 20 volts. This enables the transmission and modulation of terahertz signals with much greater power and frequency than is currently possible.
This new technology could change the future of ultra-high-speed communications, as it is compatible with existing processes in semiconductor manufacturing. Already, the team has demonstrated data transmission of up to 100 gigabits per second at terahertz frequencies, which is 10 times higher than what we have today with 5G. To fully realize the potential of the approach, the next step is to develop other electronics components ready for integration into terahertz circuits.
Integrated terahertz electronics are the next frontier for a connected future. But this electronic meta-device is just one component. Researchers will need to develop other integrated terahertz components to fully realize the potential of this technology.
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