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Success in Increasing the Detection Sensitivity of Terahertz Waves by an Order of Magnitude or More with Plasmon, a New Operating Principle of Transistors -Paving the Way for Next-generation 6G & 7G Ultrahigh-speed Wireless Communications- (Matsuoka & Suemitsu PJ)

Press Release 2023.11.24

Following 5G wireless communications, which are now becoming mainstream, research and development has begun on next-generation 6G and 7G wireless communications that use terahertz waves to further increase communication speed by one to two orders of magnitude.

The charged vibration quantum (two-dimensional plasmon) of a group of two-dimensional electrons excited in the electron channel of a semiconductor field-effect transistor has a strong nonlinear rectification effect due to its fluid-like behavior and a high-speed response that is not limited by electron travel time, making it possible to achieve high-speed response and high sensitivity terahertz wave detection at room temperature, which is difficult with conventional electronic and optical devices. It has been attracting attention as an operating principle for realizing fast-response, high-sensitivity terahertz wave detectors that can operate at room temperature, which is difficult to achieve with conventional electronic and optical devices.

 

Associate Prof. Akira Sato (RIEC), Specially Appointed Prof. Tetsuya Suemitsu (NICHe) and Team Leader Hiroaki Minamide (RIKEN, Advanced Photon Research Center) has discovered a new detection principle, “plasmonic three-dimensional rectification effect,” which is a superposition of gate-channel diode current nonlinearity in addition to plasmonic fluid nonlinear rectification effect, is manifested in indium-phosphorus high electron mobility transistor-based terahertz wave detection devices. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that impedance matching high-speed transmission systems is now possible, and that the effect of dramatically eliminating the problem of waveform distortion caused by multiple reflections of high-speed modulated signals can be achieved. These are groundbreaking achievements that will pave the way to the realization of next-generation 6G & 7G ultrahigh-speed wireless communications.

 

The results were published in Nanophotonics on November 9, 2023.

 

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