1st April 2021
10:53 am
1st April 2021
10:59 am
Terahertz functions could be applied to anti-counterfeiting technologies and 6G telephony following the development of a semiconductor source of terahertz radiation.
Ultrafast lasers at the University of Sussex EPic Lab are an essential ingredient to realise ultra-thin THz sources (Image: EPic Lab, Sussex University)
This is the claim of physicists from Sussex University who have developed an extremely thin, large-area semiconductor surface source of terahertz that is composed of a few atomic layers and is compatible with existing electronic platforms.
Terahertz sources emit brief light pulses oscillating at trillion of times per second, which is too fast to be handled by standard electronics, and, until recently, too slow for optical technologies. This is significant for the evolution of ultra-fast communication devices above the 300GHz limit – required for 6G mobile phone technology – and currently beyond the limit of existing electronics.