Circuits for signals at 140 GHz makes world record

A Swedish research team have made a world record by creating a new type of microwave circuit for fewer cords, smaller antennas and quicker video transmission.

Every time we watch a film clip on our phone or tablet, an entire chain of advanced technology is involved. In order for the film to start playing in an even sequence when we press the play button, the data must reach us quickly via a long series of devices, antennas and receivers. With an increasing number of users, higher demands on image quality and more wireless systems, producing methods for transmitting the enormous amounts of data through the air with the right speed poses a major challenge.

Now, researchers from Chalmers University of Technology and Ericsson have designed circuits that can transmit and receive signals that are strong enough at higher frequencies.

Herbert Zirath, a professor in high speed electronics at Chalmers, said that they have designed circuits for signals at 140 Gigahertz, where they have a large bandwidth. In laboratory testing, they have achieved a transmission rate of 40 Gigabit data per second, which was twice as fast as the previous world record at a comparable frequency.

As a result of the record, the researchers have been asked to talk about their results together with a few other researchers under the heading "Breaking News" on Wednesday at the Compound Semiconductor Integrated Circuits Symposium conference in San Diego.

Herbert Zirath said that semiconductor materials development has enabled manufacture of circuits that could transmit high frequency signals with sufficiently high power. The circuits, which are made of the semiconductor material indium phosphide, are so small that a microscope is needed to distinguish the details.