The 6G era is one step closer, with the first terahertz modulator

     In today's digital age, the speed and efficiency of data transmission is one of the key factors driving the development of technology, and a research team at ETH Zurich in Switzerland has made a major breakthrough in this regard, successfully developing the first modulator capable of achieving data transmission at terahertz frequencies. Terahertz technology is one of the key technologies in the evolution of the next generation of 6G communication, and the emergence of this achievement not only lays the foundation for the development of future 6G communication technology, but also has a profound impact in many fields.

     Plasma modulator is a kind of tiny device that converts electrical signals into optical signals and is widely used in optical fiber communication. Previously, such modulators typically only transmit at frequencies of 100 to 200 gigahertz, but the new modulator developed by the research team has successfully increased the data transmission frequency to more than 1 terahertz (that is, more than 1 trillion oscillations per second), meaning that it can transmit five to ten times the amount of data than traditional modulators in the same time.

     In fact, transmitting terahertz signals through fiber optics is technically possible today, but it is cumbersome and requires a variety of expensive components. The new modulator uses a micro nanostructure composed of a variety of materials such as gold, which can realize direct and efficient conversion from electrical signals to optical signals by using the interaction between free electrons and light in gold, reducing energy consumption. In addition, the new modulator is not only fast, but also extremely flexible, able to operate in a wide frequency range from 10 MHZ to 1.14 terahertz, covering a variety of application scenarios from low to high frequency.

     The advent of terahertz modulators not only brings light to the development of 6G communication technology, but also shines in many fields such as medical imaging, material spectral analysis, airport baggage scanning, and radar technology. The commercialization of the technology is being driven by Polariton Technologies, which is expected to play an important role in data transmission and measurement technology.