Novel Aspects of Horn-Antenna Beam Misalignment at THz Frequencies

Abstract

To achieve 1 Tb/s wireless links considering simplified modulation schemes, that are in short-range and at terahertz (THz) frequencies, the quest for overwhelming extreme bandwidths is self-evident. In this paper, we analyze the channel performance and limitations of THz communication systems at 300 GHz carrier frequency due to the horn-antenna beam misalignment in line-of-sight (LoS) scenario. Firstly, a ray-tracer is employed to examine the implications of beam spot size for varied distances. Then, these effects are studied in terms of link coverage and the achievable data rates when altering the antenna positions horizontally and vertically. A VNA-based 300 GHz transmission system is used to experimentally validate the above mentioned implications in terms of distance and antenna positions. Finally, the impact of beam spot size is studied by rotating the antennas. To the best of our knowledge, this work reports the first ever recorded implications of beam spot size on the THz wireless links.