Sub-THz wireless transmission based on graphene-integrated optoelectronic mixer

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Graphene-based integrated photonics
• Terahertz (THz) communication

Background:

• Optoelectronics offers a pathway to increase wireless link frequencies to sub-Terahertz (sub-THz) for advanced antenna systems and networks.
• Next-generation wireless technologies like 5G and 6G demand broadband capacity exceeding 10-100 Gb/s per link.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and demonstrate a low-power, small-footprint building block for 5G and 6G wireless transmission.
• To achieve broadband capacity using graphene-based optoelectronics for sub-THz frequencies.

Main Methods:

• Development of a graphene-based integrated optoelectronic mixer.
• Mixing an optically generated reference oscillator (approaching 100 GHz) with a baseband electrical signal.
• Utilizing integrated-photonic technology based on wafer-scale high-mobility graphene.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated a wireless data link using graphene, reaching sub-THz carrier frequency and multi-Gbit/s data rates.
• Achieved >96 GHz optoelectronic bandwidth and -44 dB upconversion efficiency.
• Device footprint is significantly smaller than state-of-the-art photonic transmitters (<0.1 mm²).

Conclusions:

• The developed graphene-based optoelectronic mixer is a viable solution for low-power, high-capacity wireless transmission.
• This technology enables sub-THz carrier frequencies and multi-Gbit/s data rates, crucial for 5G and 6G.
• Paves the way for optoelectronics-based arrayed antennas in millimeter-wave technology.