Universities around the world are racing to lead the development of 6G technology, focusing on advances in terahertz communications and innovative silicon chips that promise data transmission speeds far beyond current capabilities, potentially transforming the way we communicate in the future.
A team at the University of Adelaide has made significant progress by introducing a new polarisation multiplexer that operates at terahertz frequencies. This technology could dramatically increase data transmission by efficiently using the available spectrum.
“Our proposed polarization multiplexer will allow multiple data streams to be transmitted simultaneously in the same frequency band, effectively doubling the data capacity,” explained Professor Withawat Withayachumnankul. “This large relative bandwidth is a record for any integrated multiplexer in any frequency range. If scaled to the center frequency of optical communications bands, such a bandwidth could cover all optical communications bands.”
Wide applications
By doubling communication capacity with the same bandwidth and reducing data loss, the multiplexer could accelerate advances in fields such as high-definition video streaming, augmented reality and 6G mobile networks. Professor Masayuki Fujita, co-author of the study, highlighted the potential impact, saying: “This innovation is set to catalyse a surge of interest and research activity in this field.”
Meanwhile, the University of Notre Dame has developed a silicon topological beamforming chip, which recently appeared in Nature“Our chip takes a terahertz signal from a single source and splits it into 54 smaller signals,” lead researcher Ranjan Singh wrote in a paper for The Conversation.
“Terahertz frequencies are crucial for 6G technology, which telecom companies plan to deploy around 2030. The radio frequency spectrum used by today’s wireless networks is increasingly congested. Terahertz waves offer a solution by utilizing the relatively unoccupied part of the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and infrared. These higher frequencies can carry massive amounts of data, making them ideal for the data-intensive applications of the future.”
Designed with artificial intelligence, the chip features a honeycomb structure that channels terahertz waves precisely, delivering focused beams for ultrafast data transmission at speeds of up to 72 gigabits per second. You can see an illustration of this experimental chip at the top of the page.
These terahertz technologies have wide-ranging applications, from enabling instant downloads of ultra-high-definition 4K movies to facilitating real-time holographic communication and remote surgery. The potential of these advances could revolutionize telecommunications, imaging, radar and the Internet of Things in the next decade.
