Scientists from Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and Japan’s Osaka University built a new chip that enables data transmission speeds faster than the 5th Generation (5G) standards for telecommunications. The chip can transmit data at 11 gigabits per second as terahertz (THz) waves. That exceeds 5G’s theoretical maximum speed of 10 gigabits per second.
5G is the latest speed upgrade to wireless networks. It’s so new that it’s still nonexistent in many places. Nevertheless, researchers are busy working on what comes next: 6G. And while researchers are still figuring out how to make the ultra-speedy connections happen, they say it’ll be 100 times faster than 5G – fast enough to stream 4K high-def video in real-time and download 142 hours of Netflix in a second.
THz waves are in the electromagnetic spectrum. They fall between infrared waves and microwaves. Generating and transmitting them requires special lasers, and it’s difficult and costly. Even when researchers manage to do it, the frequency range is limited, making THz waves yet unreliable for telecommunications.
The two main problems are transmission error rates and material defects found in conventional waveguides such as crystals or hollow cables. The team found a way around this by using a new material to transmit THz waves, called photonic topological insulators (PTIs). PTIs can conduct light waves on their edges and surface, like a train following tracks, rather than through the material. This also allows light to be redirected around corners without disturbing its flow.
The small silicon chip was made with rows of triangular holes and small triangles pointing in the opposite direction to larger triangles. The design made it so light waves were “topologically protected,” and the chip could transmit THz waves error-free.
The team says that if a miniaturized platform were designed and produced using current silicon manufacturing processes, their THz interconnect chip would integrate easily into it. Like this, the technology could be unified with electronic and photonic circuit designs helping the widespread adoption of THz in the future.
Leader of the project associate professor Ranjan Singh from Nanyang Technological University said:
With the 4th industrial revolution and the rapid adoption of Internet-of-Things (IoT) equipment, including smart devices, remote cameras, and sensors, IoT equipment needs to handle high volumes of data wirelessly and relies on communication networks to deliver ultra-high speeds and low latency.
By employing THz technology, it can potentially boost intra-chip and inter-chip communication to support Artificial intelligence and cloud-based technologies, such as interconnected self-driving cars, which will need to transmit data quickly to other nearby cars and infrastructure to navigate better and also to avoid accidents.
For now, 5G networks are still being set up while 6G is being developed. According to the Japanese company NTTDoCoMo, we won’t be seeing 6G until 2030.
