A 2.4-m communication link operating at 3.9 THz based on a terahertz quantum cascade laser and a terahertz quantum well photodetector(THz QWP) are introduced. The lumped electrical models of THz QWP for small signals are presented. A discussion of the bandwidth limit of the detecting circuit is presented. Using direct on–of-keying modulation and intensity detection, the transmission of digital video signal with a data rate of 2.5 Mb/s is demonstrated. Pseudo-random binary sequences are transmitted to investigate the bit-error rate(BER) at diferent rates. Result shows the error free transmission when the rate is below 5 Mb/s.
We demonstrate a wireless transmission link at 3.9 THz over a distance of 0.5 m by employing a terahertz(Hz) quantum-cascade laser(QCL) and a THz quantum-well photodetector(QWP). We make direct voltage modulation of the THz QCL and use a spectral-matched THz QWP to detect the modulated THz light from the laser. The small signal model and a direct voltage modulation scheme of the laser are presented. A square wave up to 30 MHz is added to the laser and detected by the THz detector. The bandwidth limit of the wireless link is also discussed.
Atmospheric absorption, scattering, and scintillation are the major causes to deteriorate the transmission quality of terahertz(THz) wireless communications. An error control coding scheme based on low density parity check(LDPC) codes with soft decision decoding algorithm is proposed to improve the bit-error-rate(BER) performance of an on-off keying(OOK) modulated THz signal through atmospheric channel. The THz wave propagation characteristics and channel model in atmosphere is set up. Numerical simulations validate the great performance of LDPC codes against the atmospheric fading and demonstrate the huge potential in future ultra-high speed beyond Gbps THz communications.
The terahertz quantum-cascade laser(THz QCL) based on bound-to-continuum structure is demonstrated. The X-ray diffraction measurement of the material shows a high crystalline quality of the active region. A THz QCL device was fabricated with semi-insulating surface-plasmon waveguide. The test device is lasing at about 3 THz and operating up to60 K. It shows a single frequency property under different drive currents and temperatures. At 9 K, the maximum output power is greater than 2 mW with a threshold current density of 159 A/cm2.
Terahertz quantum cascade lasers(THz QCLs) emitted at 4.4 THz are fabricated and characterized. An equivalent circuit model is established based on the five-level rate equations to describe their characteristics. In order to illustrate the capability of the model, the steady and dynamic performances of the fabricated THz QCLs are simulated by the model.Compared to the sophisticated numerical methods, the presented model has advantages of fast calculation and good compatibility with circuit simulation for system-level designs and optimizations. The validity of the model is verified by the experimental and numerical results.
A real-time reflection imaging employing a terahertz(THz) camera as the imager and a 3.9 THz quantumcascade laser(QCL) as the light source is demonstrated. The imaging light is collected and guided by only one off-axis parabolic mirror. The imaging distance is about 1 m. THz images of a coin and a knife are acquired and analyzed. An actual spatial resolution with a value of about 0.33 mm is achieved.
We present a simulation on the spatial and temporal characteristics of the indoor propagation channel at 120 GHz. The simulation, applied to a dynamic scenario with randomly placed objects and moving people in a room, is based on a three-dimensional ray-tracing method. Propagation and reflection mechanisms of electromagnetic waves are discussed in the channel model. The received power in a 0.95-m-height plane is obtained. Comparison between walls and ceiling covered with dielectric mirrors and those with three common wall and ceiling materials are presented. The result shows that the holistic received power level with dielectric mirrors is about 10 dB higher than with other materials.
