Beyond 5G Fronthaul Based on FSO Using Spread Spectrum Codes and Graphene Modulators

Area of Science:

• Telecommunications Engineering
• Materials Science
• Optical Communications

Background:

• Next-generation mobile systems require enhanced data rates, security, and energy efficiency.
• Dense small cell architectures are crucial for scaling mobile network performance.
• Free-space optical (FSO) technologies are gaining interest for high-speed communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel mobile fronthaul network architecture.
• To integrate FSO, spread spectrum codes, and graphene modulators for dense small cells.
• To enhance data security and energy efficiency in mobile networks.

Main Methods:

• Developed a fronthaul network architecture utilizing FSO transmitters.
• Employed spread spectrum codes for enhanced data security.
• Designed and optimized an energy-efficient graphene modulator for data transmission.
• Integrated forward error correction for reliable data transfer.

Main Results:

• The proposed network supports up to 32 remote antennas with error-free transmission.
• The optimized graphene modulator achieves an energy efficiency of 4.6 fJ/bit.
• High-speed performance up to 42.6 GHz was demonstrated.
• The modulator design significantly reduced graphene material usage by 75%.

Conclusions:

• The novel mobile fronthaul network effectively addresses the demands of next-generation mobile systems.
• Graphene modulators offer a highly energy-efficient and high-performance solution for optical fronthaul.
• The integration of FSO and advanced modulation techniques enables secure and scalable mobile communication.