JNCASR Unveils 6G Silicon Chip With 100 Gbit/s Terahertz Transmission on Nov 4

What happened

Researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) announced on November 4, 2026, the development of a novel silicon chip that allows terahertz waves to pass through engineered barriers with minimal signal loss ^[2][15]. Sixth-generation (6G) wireless networks are expected to use terahertz frequencies, which offer wide bandwidth between microwaves and infrared light ^[2]. Guiding these waves through compact circuits has historically been difficult because bends, junctions, and changes in waveguides typically scatter or reflect signals ^[2].

Using topological photonics, the research team designed a silicon photonic crystal with triangular holes arranged in a honeycomb pattern resembling the lattice of graphene ^[2][15]. By changing the sizes of the triangular holes over a short section of the waveguide, they created an engineered barrier ^[2]. Testing showed that a single barrier added only about 1–2% loss, while two barriers in sequence resulted in about 2–3% loss, contrasting sharply with the severe signal reduction seen in conventional waveguides ^[2][15]. The study, published in the journalAdvanced Materials, was led by Dr. Abhishek Kumar, Assistant Professor at JNCASR's Meta Optics Laboratory ^[2][15].

Why it matters

The research team fabricated three devices on high-resistivity silicon, a material compatible with standard semiconductor manufacturing ^[2][15]: a waveguide with two consecutive barriers, an omega-shaped route featuring four sharp bends and a central barrier, and a power splitter with a barrier in one of its branches ^[2][15]. The double-barrier and omega-shaped devices achieved data speeds of 48 Gbit/s and 60 Gbit/s, respectively ^[2][15]. Furthermore, the power splitter supported transmission at 100 Gbit/s using QAM-32 modulation ^[2][15]. This level of performance points to compact terahertz circuits capable of routing and splitting high-speed data streams on a single chip, bringing future 6G wireless communication infrastructure closer to practical realization ^[2][15].

What to watch

The JNCASR research team plans to explore tuning the engineered barriers thermally, electrically, or mechanically ^[2]. Successful development of tunable barriers could allow future devices to dynamically redirect signals between different paths on demand, advancing the capabilities of single-chip terahertz communication systems ^[2].

Sources

1. Novel silicon chip allowing terahertz waves to pass through barriers could enable future 6G networks: pib.gov.in
2. New Silicon Chip Advances High-Speed 6G Technology | IBEF ibef.org