Towards wireless THz communications: Photonic-driven source and transistor-based detector

Increasing the data rates of wireless communications requires to increase the carrier frequency to hundred's of GHz, thus emitters and detectors that can operate at high data rates are required. We review a possible source and receiver that can been used for THz communications. We present a photonic-based emitter that provides a coherent THz signal in the 50-700+ GHz, based on the excitation of a uni-travelling carrier photodiode by a two-frequency semiconductor laser that operates on two transverse modes. The performance of THz detectors based on GaAs field-effect transistors are also presented, along with communications using direct amplitude modulation at 8.3 Gbps and an heterodyne communication at 1.5 Gbps.