Terahertz wireless chip brings 30Gbps networks, subcutaneous scanning

Rohm, a Japanese semiconductor company, has created a silicon chip and antenna that’s currently capable of transmitting 1.5Gbps, with the potential to scale up to 30Gbps in the future. By comparison, the fastest 802.11 (WiFi) transmission speeds max out at around 150Mbps, and the incoming WiGig standard peaks at 7Gbps.

The significant advance here, though, is the reception and transmission of terahert waves (300GH to 3TH ) using a chip and antenna that’s just two centimeters long. As you see in the image below, this thing could be screwed onto the back of your PC or router with nary a bump. Rohm is saying that the chip should cost less than $5, too, when it comes to market in a few years. This is in stark comparison to existing terahert -level gear that’s large, expensive, and only capable of data rates of 100Mbps.

Like WiGig and its 60GH transmission range, though, terahert networking isn’t going to replace standard, 2 and 5Gh home networks. The higher the frequency, the more directional the signal — and a terahert transmission, which has a submillimeter wavelength (0.1 to 1mm), is almost in the same class as a laser… and we know how directional they are. Terahert signals also fall prey to atmospheric radiation. In other words, Rohm’s chip might allow for some truly awesome device-to-device home networks, but don’t expect your local city to be blanketed with 30Gbps internet access.

Ultimately, Rohm’s new terahert chip is likely to have a larger impact on surveillance, or perhaps medical imaging. If you’re up to speed on the contentious topic of full-body security scans, you’ve probably heard of the millimeter wave scanner, the (probably) safer cousin of the backscatter X-ray. A millimeter wave scanner uses frequencies in the 30 to 300GH range to see through clothing — and terahert radiation, being submillimeter, can also penetrate through a few millimeters of skin. It’s likely that the next stage of airport security will use terahert technology.

Terahert wireless chip brings 30Gbps networks, subcutaneous scanning