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Graphene Antennas Would Enable Terabit Wireless Downloads
An antenna made from the graphene form of pure carbon could transfer 10 high-definition movies in just one second.
Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Georgia Tech researchers have developed plans for a wireless antenna made from graphene that could enable terabit-per-second transfer speeds at short ranges.
Terabit-per-second transfers could be done at a range of about one meter using a graphene antenna, which would make it possible to obtain 10 high-definition movies by waving the phone past another device for one second, according to the researchers. In addition, at even shorter ranges, such as a few centimeters, data rates of up to 100 terabits per second are theoretically possible, says Georgia Tech's Ian Akyildiz.
To make the antenna, the researchers shaped the graphene into narrow strips, allowing it to transmit and receive at the terahertz frequency.
"This points out and provides a set of classical calculations on estimates of sizes and performance: it points out that there is something worthwhile here," says IBM's Phaedon Avouris. He notes that graphene antennas also could lead to faster wireless connections between nanoscale components on chips.
"Antennas made of graphene can be made much smaller in all dimensions than a metal wire antenna," Avouris says.
The Georgia Tech researchers plan to develop a prototype antenna within a year.
From Technology Review
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