Speaker
Description
The continuous surge in internet usage and the growing demand for higher data-transfer rates are driving the exploration of new, unallocated frequency bands, pushing research toward higher frequencies in the terahertz (THz) range. THz frequencies offer exceptionally wide bandwidths capable of supporting data-transfer rates of the order of terabits per second. The realization of high-speed THz communications relies on advancements in three key areas: signal generation, propagation and detection. This work focuses on the fast and sensitive detection of THz signal. Although THz radiation is widely used in many areas including astronomy, imaging, security and non-destructive analysis, high-speed THz detectors still remain a challenge. Traditional THz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) detection techniques and thermal based detectors are not suitable for high-speed wireless communications, mainly due to their slow response times. To overcome this limitation, we exploit fast detectors operating in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the electromagnetic spectrum. Specifically, we take advantage of a nonlinear process called sum-frequency generation (SFG) in a nonlinear crystal. The SFG photons generated from the interaction between NIR and THz signals lie in the NIR region and preserve the spectral information of the THz radiation. A fast avalanche photodiode with rise and fall times of the order of a few hundred picoseconds is used to achieve sensitive detection and rapid acquisition of THz signals. Using optimized amplitude levels for pulse-amplitude modulation (PAM), we aim to achieve data transfer-rates of hundreds of gigabits per second, with the potential to reach terabits per second.
| Keyword-1 | Terahertz |
|---|---|
| Keyword-2 | Wireless communications |