Periodic Reporting for period 1 - FASTERA (A THz communication evaluation kit)
Reporting period: 2021-06-01 to 2023-02-28
Wireless data traffic has been witnessing an unprecedented expansion in the past few years. Mobile phones, wearable technologies, IoT and the growing digitalisation of products and services undoubtedly lead to a hyper-connected society. However, the current state-of-the-art technology, destined to be used in next-generation wireless communications such as 5G, has intrinsically limited bandwidth. In fact, data transmission rate requirements for indoor and short-range applications are expected to surpass the capabilities of 5G due to emerging applications such as predictive analytics in manufacturing lines, machine-to-machine communication, and immersive extended reality. The range from 0.1 to 1 THz has been found to enable an increase in transfer speeds and the lowest environmental signal attenuation, suitable for indoor and short-range data links. Moreover, simplified designs, low cost and power-efficient operation are critical drivers for the successful industrial uptake of the THz technology. Therefore, there is a need for THz technologies based on scalable materials, with small footprint and CMOS-integration. The target of the FASTERA project is to build a plug&play evaluation kit to validate the THz homodyne receiver in an industrially relevant environment.
An evaluation kit of the terahertz (THz) receiver, employing a novel and patented antenna-coupled graphene-enabled THz detector (AGTD), has been developed. The fabrication was performed by using scalable materials, which are compatible with silicon technology. We improved important electrical characteristics of the dielectric material such as high breakdown voltage and low contact resistance and demonstrated that the THz receivers have a broadband response in the THz range (from 0.2-4 THz, limited by the lasers' capabilities) with high responsivity values at the spectral region of the antenna enhancement.
The AGTD data reception performance at ~0.2 THz was tested at ETH Zurich, showing the detection of data streams at bit rates from 0.5 Gbit s-1 to 3 Gbit s-1 with bit-error-ratio (BER) values lower than 10-10 and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) exceeding 12 dB. These results, to the best of our knowledge, are the first demonstration of a graphene receiver operating in the sub-THz band.
The AGTD data reception performance at ~0.2 THz was tested at ETH Zurich, showing the detection of data streams at bit rates from 0.5 Gbit s-1 to 3 Gbit s-1 with bit-error-ratio (BER) values lower than 10-10 and signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) exceeding 12 dB. These results, to the best of our knowledge, are the first demonstration of a graphene receiver operating in the sub-THz band.
The evaluation kit, consisting mainly of the AGTD chip bonded through wire bonding to a printed circuit board (PCB) was also designed and tested. The kit was designed to be a plug-and-play system compatible with standard electronic equipment to enable testing by any industrial partner. The system contains CMOS-compatible materials and processes, it is scalable, and it is compact – thereby meeting three of the most important parameters for future commercial applicability. Furthermore, the device has the potential to cover the full THz spectrum, thereby enabling full broadband operation.
The outcomes of this project show that the FASTERA technology have considerable potential for further development, and eventual deployment within the communications industry.
The potential societal benefits of introducing THz communications are substantial. Since the COVID 19 pandemic there has been a strong shift towards telework, remote education, and telemedicine. Next generation online social interactions, involving AR/VR and metaverses are also set to undergo a major growth period in the coming years. All of these applications require communications systems that provide/enable high rates of data transfer. THz communications will likely be included in an industry-wide roadmap that outlines which technologies or capabilities will become future industry standards. In 2019, the worldwide THz technology market size was $487 million, and it is expected to reach $2271 by the end of 2026, with a CAGR of 24.3% during the forecasted period. The economic benefits of exploiting novel communication technologies will be substantial across the whole telecom value chain – from OEMs, system integrators and component manufacturers up to advanced materials providers (e.g. graphene manufacturers). While THz systems are being rapidly explored in the security or quality control industries, efficient, cost-effective, miniaturised components remain to be broadly implemented – signifying a substantial gap in the market and commercial opportunity.
The outcomes of this project show that the FASTERA technology have considerable potential for further development, and eventual deployment within the communications industry.
The potential societal benefits of introducing THz communications are substantial. Since the COVID 19 pandemic there has been a strong shift towards telework, remote education, and telemedicine. Next generation online social interactions, involving AR/VR and metaverses are also set to undergo a major growth period in the coming years. All of these applications require communications systems that provide/enable high rates of data transfer. THz communications will likely be included in an industry-wide roadmap that outlines which technologies or capabilities will become future industry standards. In 2019, the worldwide THz technology market size was $487 million, and it is expected to reach $2271 by the end of 2026, with a CAGR of 24.3% during the forecasted period. The economic benefits of exploiting novel communication technologies will be substantial across the whole telecom value chain – from OEMs, system integrators and component manufacturers up to advanced materials providers (e.g. graphene manufacturers). While THz systems are being rapidly explored in the security or quality control industries, efficient, cost-effective, miniaturised components remain to be broadly implemented – signifying a substantial gap in the market and commercial opportunity.