A thin, patterned sheet of material to control terahertz waves on a chip
Chip-based system for terahertz waves could enable more efficient, sensitive electronics – no bulky silicon lenses required
The use of terahertz waves, which have shorter wavelengths and higher frequencies than radio waves, could enable faster data transmission, more precise medical imaging, and higher-resolution radar.
But effectively generating terahertz waves using a semiconductor chip, which is essential for incorporation into electronic devices, is notoriously difficult.
Many current techniques can’t generate waves with enough radiating power for useful applications unless they utilize bulky and expensive silicon lenses. Higher radiating power allows terahertz signals to travel farther. Such lenses, which are often larger than the chip itself, make it hard to integrate the terahertz source into an electronic device.
To overcome these limitations, MIT researchers developed a terahertz amplifier-multiplier system that achieves higher radiating power than existing devices without the need for silicon lenses.
By affixing a thin, patterned sheet of material to the back of the chip and utilizing higher-power Intel transistors, the researchers produced a more efficient, yet scalable, chip-based terahertz wave generator.
This compact chip could be used to make terahertz arrays for applications like improved security scanners for detecting hidden objects or environmental monitors for pinpointing airborne pollutants.
“To take full advantage of a terahertz wave source, we need it to be scalable. A terahertz array might have hundreds of chips, and there is no place to put silicon lenses because the chips are combined with such high density. We need a different package, and here we’ve demonstrated a promising approach that can be used for scalable, low-cost terahertz arrays,” says Jinchen Wang, a graduate student in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and lead author of a paper on the terahertz radiator.
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