Loughborough University physicists and an international team have demonstrated that a grain-of-rice-sized microchip can be used to produce a spectrum of precisely spaced frequencies of light, which is then converted into multiple high-frequency electromagnetic signals known as millimeter waves.
Millimeter waves are of growing interest for future communications because they offer much more bandwidth—essentially more space for transmitting data—but generating them with the precision and stability needed for advanced technologies remains challenging.
"The world is becoming increasingly data hungry. We want to send and receive more information, faster and in higher resolution, and millimeter waves could help provide the capacity to do that," said Dr. Luke Peters, of Loughborough University's Emergent Photonics Research Center.
"They could ultimately contribute to faster, higher-capacity 6G networks, but the potential goes far beyond communications. These frequencies could also be used in radar systems, as well as spectroscopy and astronomical instruments, helping scientists study materials and make extremely precise measurements of the universe.
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