Terahertz Transceivers for Short Range Multi-Gigabit Wireless Communications

The demand for broadband content and services has been growing at tremendous rates, and predictions indicate that wireless data-rates of multiple tens of gigabits per second (Gbps) will be required by the year 2020, essentially for short-range connectivity. Currently available wireless technology cannot support these future demands, and so there is an urgent need to develop new technology platforms that are cost and energy efficient to enable ubiquitous ultra-broadband wireless communications seamlessly integrated with high-speed fibre-optic networks, paving the way for 100 Gbps data rates in the longer term. The frequency spectrum currently in use is not expected to be suitable to accommodate the predicted future data-rate requirements, and therefore there is a need to embrace higher frequency bands, above 60 GHz and up to 1 THz. This project aims at developing a novel, low cost, energy-efficient and compact ultra-broadband short-range wireless communication transceiver technology, capable of addressing predicted future network usage requirements. This will be pursued through the exploitation of Resonant Tunnelling Diode (RTD) devices which represent the fastest pure solid-state electronic devices operating at room temperature with reported working frequencies exceeding 1 THz. The project aims at increasing the RTD oscillator output power to over 1 mW at frequencies above 500 GHz through improved circuit design and implementation, and the use of this in basic multi-gigabit wireless communications links.

The work on the project entails the design, fabrication and characterisation of resonant tunnelling diodes and associated integrated circuits. This technology is expected to be at the forefront of future communication solutions and will open up new fields of study and work, enabling high speed data transfers between devices and networks. By the year 2020 it is estimated that there will be nearly 26 billion devices interconnected, affecting the lives of everybody by providing the foundation for a 'smart world'. Therefore, the development of low cost, energy-efficient terahertz transceivers will enable research into Internet of Things devices, opening new research opportunities into smart embedded devices that are not only able to communicate with each other but with the internet as well ushering in automation in nearly all fields. The Internet of Things is expected to generate large amounts of data from diverse locations that is aggregated at a very high-velocity, thereby increasing the need for faster data transfers.