I'm an engineer who focuses on photonics , the study of how light and other electromagnetic waves are generated and detected . In this research, my colleagues and I have developed a silicon topological beamformer chip . Topological refers to physical features in the silicon that help steer terahertz waves, and beamformer refers to the purpose of the chip: forming terahertz waves into directed beams.
Terahertz frequencies are crucial for 6G, which telecommunications companies plan to roll out around 2030 . The radio frequency spectrum used by current wireless networks is becoming increasingly congested. Terahertz waves offer a solution by using the relatively unoccupied portion of the electromagnetic spectrum between microwaves and infrared. These higher frequencies can carry massive amounts of data, making them ideal for the data-intensive applications of the future.
