Wireless THz link with optoelectronic transmitter and receiver

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel wireless THz communication link utilizing optoelectronic techniques at both transmitter and receiver, achieving high data rates over a wide frequency range and marking a significant advancement in THz wireless technology.

Contribution

It introduces the first THz transmission system employing optoelectronic processing at both ends, enabling wideband tunability and high data rates.

Findings

Achieved up to 10 Gbit/s line rate on a single channel.

Demonstrated multi-channel data transmission up to 30 Gbit/s.

Operated over a distance of 58 meters with wide frequency tunability.

Abstract

Photonics might play a key role in future wireless communication systems that operate at THz carrier frequencies. A prime example is the generation of THz data streams by mixing optical signals in high-speed photodetectors. Over the previous years, this concept has enabled a series of wireless transmission experiments at record-high data rates. Reception of THz signals in these experiments, however, still relied on electronic circuits. In this paper, we show that wireless THz receivers can also greatly benefit from optoelectronic signal processing techniques, in particular when carrier frequencies beyond 0.1 THz and wideband tunability over more than an octave is required. Our approach relies on a high-speed photoconductor and a photonic local oscillator for optoelectronic down-conversion of THz data signals to an intermediate frequency band that is easily accessible by conventional microelectronics. By tuning the frequency of the photonic local oscillator, we can cover a wide range of carrier frequencies between 0.03 THz and 0.34 THz. We demonstrate line rates of up to 10 Gbit/s on a single channel and up to 30 Gbit/s on multiple channels over a distance of 58 m. To the best of our knowledge, our experiments represent the first demonstration of a THz transmission link that exploits optoelectronic signal processing techniques both at the transmitter and the receiver.