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A Review on Terahertz Communications Research

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Abstract

The increasing demand of unoccupied and unregulated bandwidth for wireless communication systems will inevitably lead to the extension of operation frequencies toward the lower THz frequency range. Higher carrier frequencies will allow for fast transmission of huge amounts of data as needed for new emerging applications. Despite the tremendous hurdles that have to be overcome with regard to sources and detectors, circuit and antenna technology and system architecture to realize ultrafast data transmission in a scenario with extensive transmission loss, a new area of research is beginning to form. In this article we give an overview of emerging technologies and system research that might lead to ubiquitous THz communication systems in the future.

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Acknowledgements

The author (TKO) would like to thank C. Jastrow, K. Münter and T. Schrader from Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and S. Priebe, M. Jacob, R. Piesiewicz and T. Kürner from the Institute for Communications Technology at Technical University Braunschweig for the joint work on channel characterization and transmission experiments. Furthermore TKO would like to acknowledge the fruitful discussions within the framework of the Terahertz Communications Lab (http://www.tcl.tu-bs.de/) where four research groups from PTB, Technical University Braunschweig and University of Marburg work together on the fundamentals of THz communications. TKO would like to thank M. Koch and J. Schöbel for the development of concepts and scientific discussions. He would also like to thank B. Spitschan, P. Schlegel und A. Gudat, all from the Institute for Communications Technology at Technical University Braunschweig, and J. Hartmann from Rohde & Schwarz Vertriebs-GmbH for the supply of measurement equipment and participation in preliminary experiments, as well as for helpful discussions.

The author (TN) wishes to thank Y. Kado, N. Kukutsu, A. Hirata, H.-J. Song, R. Yamaguchi, H. Takahashi, K. Ajito, T. Furuta, A. Wakatsuki, Y. Muramoto, T. Kosugi, K. Murata, N. Shigekawa, T. Enoki, and K. Iwatsuki all from NTT Laboratories, T. Ishibashi of NTT Electronics, H. Ito of Kitasato University, Y. Fujimoto, K. Miyake, T. Takada, and M. Kawamura all with Osaka University, H. Ikegawa, H. Nishikawa, T. Nakayama, and T. Inada all from Fuji Television Network, N. Iai, S. Okabe, S. Kimura Y. Endo, T. Ikeda, and K. Shogen all from NHK Science and Technical Research Laboratories, for their contribution and efforts in the THz communications research projects. TN also would like to express thanks to members of the study group on THz communications at Kinki Bureau of Telecommunications in the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Japan. He would like to acknowledge I. Hosako of National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, and D. M. Britz of AT&T Labs Research - Shannon Labs for their stimulating discussion and support. Part of this work was supported by the “Research and Development Project for the Expansion of Radio Spectrum Resources” made available by the MIC, and by the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A), 20246062, 2008.

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  1. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), Bundesallee 100, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany

    Thomas Kleine-Ostmann

  2. Osaka University, 1-3 Machikaneyama, Toyonaka, Osaka, 560-8531, Japan

    Tadao Nagatsuma

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Correspondence to Thomas Kleine-Ostmann.

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Kleine-Ostmann, T., Nagatsuma, T. A Review on Terahertz Communications Research. J Infrared Milli Terahz Waves 32, 143–171 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-010-9758-1

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