Abstract: We discuss basic considerations for potential short-range THz communication systems which may replace or supplement present WLAN systems in 10–15 years from now. On the basis of a few fundamental estimations we show that such a system will need a line-of-sight connection between receiver and emitter. To circumvent the blocking of the direct line-of-sight connection indoor THz communication systems will also have to rely on non-line-of-sight paths which involve reflections off the walls. The reflectivity of the walls can be enhanced by dielectric mirrors. This new scheme makes steerable high-gain antennas a necessity. Hence, a wireless THz communication system can not be a simple extension of the existing technology of today's local area networks. Instead it involves completely new concepts and ideas that have not yet been worked upon.

Abstract: The recent progress in the device performance of the uni-traveling-carrier photodiode (UTC-PD) is described. The UTC-PD utilizes only electrons as the active carriers, and this unique feature is the key to achieving excellent high-speed and high-output characteristics simultaneously. The achieved performance includes a record 3-dB bandwidth of 310 GHz, high-power photonic millimeter-wave generation with an output power of over +13 dBm at 100 GHz, high-output-voltage photoreceiver operation at bit rates of up to 80 Gbit/s, and demultiplexing operation at 200 Gbit/s using a monolithic PD-EAM optical gate.