Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore
Terahertz waveguides for 6G communication
As the world continues to advance technologically at a rapid rate, the need for high speed data is increasing exponentially. 5G networks are being phased into our lives and possess numerous novel applications in a wide variety of industries. However, it will not be able to keep up with the rate of technological advancements for long with its limitations of spectral bandwidth. This is where 6G networks would come in to provide a long term solution. 6G communication intends to utilise terahertz (THz) frequencies due to its large spectral bandwidth to facilitate data rates of multiple terabits per second. Early research into THz frequencies find that there are great losses present. However, to ease transmission of data and overcome the free space loss issue, a low-loss, high antenna gain and extremely efficient devices are required. Integrated Photonic Crystal (PC) circuits have shown great promise in being able to limit losses while maximising gain while Photonic Topological Insulators (PTIs) has shown to be robust and capable of providing a highly efficient platform. In addition to that, buffer technology has shown potential to be coupled with PTIs in order to combat the issue of impedance mismatch during its transition to air. Using the properties of topology on an industry-ready Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) silicon (Si) platform, a highly robust, low-loss and high-gain topological antenna-waveguide integrated platform is developed. Our results reveal robust transport of THz waves in topological waveguide even at the presence of sharp bends. And the integration of topological antenna with waveguide yields high gain. Using 3D simulation, the performance of the integrated system is verified. Furthermore, to minimize the impedance mismatch in topological antenna, the implementation of buffer solution that potentially would enhance the antenna performance is discussed. This study could pave the path for developing high-speed on chip THz integrated circuitry for next generation 6G communication.
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