High performance wireless/photonic interfaces for 60 GHz radio over fibre applications

In this project, the semiconductor device technology required to achieve multi-gigabit wireless transmission and reception is integrated with the capabilities of semiconductor optical device and fiber networks in order to improve the speed, security, and cost required for point to point communication links. The scheme exploits the recent development of standards and techniques around those frequencies in the millimeter wave spectrum, specifically in the V-band of frequencies. The high data rate possible with this wireless-opto technology (>7Gbps) is several times larger than the data rates currently used in the wireless communications industry. The technology has also additional benefits in terms of immunity from interference, and reduced size of components and antennas. The wireless-opto interface devices in this project share the same platform of compound semiconductor (III-V) material (InP). For the wireless part of the interface, the active component is implemented in the form of a resonant tunnelling diode RTD (oscillator). For the optical part of the interface, the active component is implemented as a high speed distributed feedback (DFB) laser. Both integrated components form the single package wireless-opto transceiver solution.