Enhanced mm-Wave Frequency Up-Conversion via a Time-Varying Graphene Aperture on a Cavity Resonator

Area of Science:

• Electromagnetics and Wave Propagation
• Materials Science for RF Applications
• Antenna Engineering for 5G and Beyond

Background:

• The evolution to 5G and beyond necessitates efficient devices operating at millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequencies.
• Existing mm-wave technologies face challenges in device efficiency and fabrication.
• Novel antenna structures are required to meet the demands of higher frequency bands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and analyze a novel non-linear antenna design for mm-wave harmonic generation.
• To investigate the use of time-varying graphene integrated with substrate-integrated cavity (SIC) radiators.
• To explore the potential of this design for future mm-wave and terahertz (THz) applications.

Main Methods:

• Modeling graphene with dispersive surface conductivity and time-varying bias electric fields.
• Employing a modified Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) algorithm to simulate time-varying graphene behavior.
• Designing a substrate-integrated cavity (SIC) resonator with a graphene-covered slot aperture.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated effective generation of harmonic frequencies in the mm-wave spectrum using modulated graphene.
• Numerical studies confirmed the performance of the proposed non-linear antenna design.
• Different modulation schemes were analyzed to enhance specific higher-order harmonics.

Conclusions:

• The proposed non-linear antenna design effectively generates mm-wave harmonics.
• Time-varying graphene integrated with SIC radiators offers a promising approach for future mm-wave and THz systems.
• The design shows potential for enhancing specific harmonic frequencies through tailored modulation schemes.