Rohde & Schwarz and IEMN have researched high frequency measurements and the integration of R&S solutions with photonic technologies
The Institute of Electronics, Microelectronics and Nanotechnology (IEMN) in France and test equipment company Rohde & Schwarz have expanded their collaboration to research terahertz communications that utilize photonic technologies, the latter said in a release.
In a recent demonstration, researchers from IEMN achieved a 300 GHz bidirectional link over an outdoor distance of 645 meters for potential use in future 6G backhaul scenarios.
The R&S SMA100B microwave signal generator from Rohde & Schwarz was utilized in the performance test setup. The German company said the R&S SMA100B provides an ultra-low phase noise signal that helps accelerate terahertz communications research and development to ready it for industrialization.
For several years, Rohde & Schwarz and the IEMN team have researched high-frequency measurements and the integration of Rohde & Schwarz test and measurement solutions with photonic technologies to accelerate advances in emerging and as-yet-unstandardized 6G technologies.
Rohde & Schwarz noted that backhaul frequencies are expected to move higher once the E-band communications market is saturated. Potential frequencies such as D-band (110-170 GHz) systems are expected to enter the market sometime after 2025, while H-band or sub-THz bands up to 300 GHz will come sometime after 2030, the company said. This is why the German firm believes that developing new architectures and test systems to characterize mmWave/THz performance at both the component and system levels is very important for future wireless systems.
Rohde & Schwarz said that its R&S SMA100B solution, which was used to support the testing team in Lille, France, is the first to successfully integrate THz frequency duplexing and allow simultaneous transmission and reception at both ends with a single antenna pair. After validating the system performance in a lab, it was tested in Germany with two pairs of antennas over a distance of 150 meters, as part of the EU-Japan ThoR project, followed by outdoor, over-the-air tests in France over a distance of 645 meters with a system transmission rate of 12.6 Gbps, marking the maximum distance achieved by a THz duplexing system in the 300 GHz band.
Guillaume Ducournau, head of THz wireless communications research at IEMN, said: “With our expertise in THz technologies, such as optoelectronic THz photomixers, high-speed electronic receivers and THz instrumentation, we are committed to researching new 6G areas, developing prototypes, verifying technologies and proposing advanced measurement services for our collaborators. To cope with the challenges ahead, we are glad to continue and expand our collaboration with Rohde & Schwarz and develop a solid foundation for industrialization.”
“We are delighted to collaborate with IEMN on integrating electronic and photonic technologies for THz communications and hope to extend the approach to other applications. The research findings will also provide valuable input for industry specification groups, such as the recently created ETSI ISG THz, as well as other standardization bodies,” said Taro Eichler, technology manager at Rohde & Schwarz.
Earlier this year, Rohde & Schwarz had conducted a channel-sounding measurement campaign with the aim of offering a better understanding of the properties of electromagnetic wave propagation between 100 GHz and 330 GHz. Rohde & Schwarz is currently supporting 6G research activities across Europe, Asia and the U.S.
