Plasmonic Modulators Directly Convert Terahertz Waves to Optical Signals
1 min read
Summary
A team from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have broken the terahertz wireless connectivity speed barrier, potentially opening the way for ultra-fast downloads that avoid the pitfalls of 5G and fibre-optic cable connections.
The modulator necessary to convert radio frequencies to optical signals and vice versa, the electro-optic modulator (EOM), has traditionally been limited to GHz-level signals, but the ETH Zurich group used plasmons – quantum waves formed by electron oscillations – to achieve the breakthrough.
The plasmonic phase modulator can currently achieve 1.14 THz, though signal degradation begins to occur around 1 THz, but the team is confident they can improve the modulator’s performance.
Potential applications include high-speed wireless data transmission and even in medical imaging, as well as a host of other science and defence applications.
