On-chip topological beamformer for multi-link terahertz 6G to XG wireless

Area of Science:

• Photonics and optical engineering
• Wireless communication systems
• Materials science

Background:

• Terahertz (THz) wireless communication is crucial for future 6G networks, offering high capacity and low latency.
• Efficient THz beamformers are needed to overcome challenges like signal loss, limited bandwidth, and integration issues.
• Current beamforming technologies struggle with on-chip integration and spatial coverage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel on-chip broadband THz topological beamformer.
• To address the limitations of existing THz beamforming techniques.
• To enable efficient large-scale beamforming for terabit-per-second wireless communications.

Main Methods:

• Utilized valley vortices for waveguiding, splitting, and isolation in waveguide phased arrays.
• Employed neural-network-assisted inverse design for beamformer optimization.
• Developed an all-silicon, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible photonic integrated circuit.

Main Results:

• Achieved complete 360° azimuthal beamforming with gains up to 20 dBi.
• Demonstrated a 72-Gbps chip-to-chip wireless link over 300 mm and eight simultaneous 40-Gbps links.
• Enabled reconfigurable control of THz beams via photoexcitation.

Conclusions:

• The developed THz topological beamformer offers low-loss, broadband operation and efficient large-scale beamforming.
• This technology is essential for enabling massive MIMO systems in terabit-per-second 6G wireless communications.
• The all-silicon photonic integrated circuit provides a pathway for scalable THz communication systems.