TERAWAY project
Published January 12, 2023 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Real-time Sub-THz link enabled purely by optoelectronics: 90-310 GHz seamless operation

Authors/Creators

  • 1. Photonic Communications Research Laboratory, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou, Athens, Greece
  • 2. Intracom Telecom 19.7 km Markopoulou Ave., Peania, Athens, Greece
  • 3. Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institut, Berlin, Germany
  • 4. Photonic Communications Research Laboratory, National Technical University of Athens, Zografou, Athens, Greece Optagon Photonics, Agia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece
  • 5. Optagon Photonics, Agia Paraskevi, Athens, Greece

Description

Optoelectronic technology is expected to be the cornerstone of sub-THz communication systems, enabling access to and use of the vast frequency resources found in this portion of the spectrum. In this work we demonstrate a photonics-enabled sub-THz wireless link operating in real-time settings, using a PIN-PD-based THz emitter, and a THz receiver based on an ultra-fast photoconductor. The real-time generation and detection of the information signal is performed by an intermediate frequency (IF) unit based on a commercially available mmWave platform, operating at 1.6 GBaud. The evaluation of our setup takes place on two phases. Firstly, a homodyne scenario is demonstrated, where the same pair of lasers is used at the transmitter and receiver side. Secondly, we demonstrate a heterodyne scheme, employing optical phase locking techniques at the receiver. Error-free operation was achieved in both scenarios at a bit rate of 3.2 Gb/s, over 1 m of free-space with ambient air. The broadband characteristics of our setup were validated, achieving error-free transmission over a 0.22 THz range, spanning from 90 up to 310 GHz. Finally, the stability of our real-time link was successfully demonstrated, showing stable SNR performance at the receiver with adaptive capabilities, over a time period of 5 min and 22 sec.

Files

E. Andrianopoulos et. al, IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, 2023_early access (doi 10.1109LPT.2023.3235932).pdf

Files (2.4 MB)

Additional details

Funding

European Commission
TERAWAY - Terahertz technology for ultra-broadband and ultra-wideband operation of backhaul and fronthaul links in systems with SDN management of network and radio resources 871668