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.
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.
Read More: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
By affixing a thin, patterned sheet of material to the back of the chip, highlighted in the center and shown in the left-side micrograph, the researchers produced a more efficient, yet scalable, chip-based terahertz wave generator. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of the researchers; MIT News)
