Scientists from the University of Utah have found that a special kind of perovskite (a combination of an organic and inorganic compound that has the same structure as the original mineral) can be utilized for faster communications.
This occurs when the compound is layered onto a silicon wafer, which leads to the development of a component for the communications system of the future. This advanced communications and computing system will make use the terahertz spectrum, which is the next generation of communications bandwidth that uses light instead of electricity to shuttle data.
Terahertz radiation occupies a space between microwaves and infrared light waves known as the “terahertz gap” (100 gigahertz to 10,000 gigahertz). Currently technology for the generation and manipulation of radiation in the terahertz rangeis in its infancy.
Nevertheless several research groups are of the opinion that so-called tremendously high frequency rays within this spectrum (or ‘T-rays’) can be used as bandwidth for data transmission in the future. Theoretically using these rays would allow data transmission at up to 100 Gigabits per second.
Key applications would extend to high-altitude telecommunications, above altitudes where water vapor causes signal absorption: aircraft to satellite, or satellite to satellite.
With the new breakthrough, scientists have found that depositing multilayer perovskite onto a silicon wafer, it is possible to modulate terahertz waves passing through the object using a halogen lamp. This process of modulating the amplitude of terahertz radiation is important since this is how data in a future, advanced communications system is likely to be transmitted.
Since a specific color of light influences the rays produced, it should be possible to position different perovskites on the same silicon substrate, using a process called spin casting; and then for each region to be controlled by different colors from the lamp.
According to one of the researchers, Professor Ajay Nahata: “This basic capability is an important step towards getting a full-fledged communications system.”
He adds: “If you want to go from what you’re doing today using a modem and standard wireless communications, and then go to a thousand times faster, you’re going to have to change the technology dramatically.”
The research to date has been published in the journal Nature. The paper is titled “Colour selective control of terahertz radiation using two-dimensional hybrid organic inorganic lead-trihalide perovskites.”
