Photonics-Assisted Terahertz-Wave Beam Steering and Its Application in Secured Wireless Communication

Beam forming and beam steering are inevitable technologies for the practical application of high-frequency electromagnetic waves. Specifically, beam control technology using a phased array for terahertz waves above 100 GHz is necessary to realize the future of high-speed wireless communication. By photomixing, which is a promising method for generating terahertz waves, the phase of the generated waves can be tuned in the optical domain, so that the beam from the phased array can be controlled by photonics technologies. Directing the beam of a terahertz wave enables wireless communication to be improved not only via an increase in power efficiency but also in security in the physical layer of the wireless transmission. By utilizing this advantage and using coherent detection at the receiver, a secured wireless communication system is proposed, and the fundamental mechanism is demonstrated in a feasibility experiment.