100 Gbit/s and Beyond IEEE 802.15.3d Channelization Compatible THz Communications Enabled by a Broadband MUTC Photodiode

Abstract

We present photonics-driven high data rate IEEE 802.15.3d compliant terahertz (THz) communication links operated at a center frequency of 280 GHz. We analyze wireless data transmission within selected single and dual channels of the IEEE 802.15.3d and assess the outcomes through additional back-to-back (B2B) data transmission measurements and calibrated link budgets of the THz link. The system architecture uses on-wafer probing of a single high-power and highly linear broadband modified unitraveling-carrier photodiode (MUTC-PD). Using the MUTC-PD as THz transmitter, we report 16-QAM 100 Gbit/s 25-cm wireless links for single and dual channel data transmission with significantly low error vector magnitude (EVM) levels, that is, 12.3% and 10.9%, respectively. As for B2B demonstration, we successfully transmit 200 Gbit/s (32-QAM) in a single channel with 7.5% EVM and 160 Gbit/s (16-QAM) in dual channel with 7.8% EVM. We further display the highly linear nature of the MUTC-PD by efficient data transmission with higher modulation formats, which is also supported by the power-saturation characteristics of the PD. To the best of the authors´ knowledge, this is the first study investigating the IEEE 802.15.3d channelization compliancy through system level design and spectral verification while at the same time achieving 100 Gbit/s and beyond data rates with notably low EVM values.