Wireless millimeterwave electro-optics on thin film lithium niobate

The rapid growth of global data traffic is accelerating the need for ultra-broadband communication technologies, particularly in cloud infrastructure and emerging 6G wireless systems. Optical computing and quantum information processing also demand fast, scalable ways to interface optical and electronic signals. Integrated electro-optic modulators provide a compact and efficient solution, but extending their operation into the millimeterwave (mmWave) range with wide bandwidth and compatibility with wireless signals remains a significant challenge. Bulky electrical packaging and high mmWave losses remain primary barriers to scalability. Here, we demonstrate a wireless and wideband electro-optic modulation architecture that directly interfaces mmWaves with optical signals, eliminating the need for impedance-matched mmWave probes and cables. By integrating an on-chip antenna with a co-designed transmission line on thin-film lithium niobate platform, we achieve wideband modulation across the WR9.0 (82-125 GHz) and WR2.8 (240-380 GHz) bands. The wideband nature of our modulator enables the device to function as a high-speed detector of mmWave carriers modulated up to 6~GHz and achieves a flat and wide response, a key requirement for 6G and high-speed mmWave sensing. By configuring the antenna-coupled transmission line to operate as a cavity, our wireless platform enables triply resonant electro-optic frequency comb generation with mode spacing of 123.2 GHz and 307.9 GHz. Extracted single-photon electro-optic coupling rates of $g_{0} =2π\times 4.98$ kHz and $2π\times 9.93$ kHz, at 123.2 and 307.9 GHz, respectively, demonstrate favorable scaling with mmWave frequency. These results introduce a new class of wireless electro-optic devices for high-speed modulation, detection, and frequency comb generation, with impactful applications in communications, sensing, and quantum technologies.

Publication Details

Journal
ArXiv.org
Published
2025-05-07
Primary Topic
Photorefractive and Nonlinear Optics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Wireless millimeterwave electro-optics on thin film lithium niobate

ArXiv.org
Photorefractive and Nonlinear Optics
article

Wireless millimeterwave electro-optics on thin film lithium niobate

article en

Abstract

The rapid growth of global data traffic is accelerating the need for ultra-broadband communication technologies, particularly in cloud infrastructure and emerging 6G wireless systems. Optical computing and quantum information processing also demand fast, scalable ways to interface optical and electronic signals. Integrated electro-optic modulators provide a compact and efficient solution, but extending their operation into the millimeterwave (mmWave) range with wide bandwidth and compatibility with wireless signals remains a significant challenge. Bulky electrical packaging and high mmWave losses remain primary barriers to scalability. Here, we demonstrate a wireless and wideband electro-optic modulation architecture that directly interfaces mmWaves with optical signals, eliminating the need for impedance-matched mmWave probes and cables. By integrating an on-chip antenna with a co-designed transmission line on thin-film lithium niobate platform, we achieve wideband modulation across the WR9.0 (82-125 GHz) and WR2.8 (240-380 GHz) bands. The wideband nature of our modulator enables the device to function as a high-speed detector of mmWave carriers modulated up to 6~GHz and achieves a flat and wide response, a key requirement for 6G and high-speed mmWave sensing. By configuring the antenna-coupled transmission line to operate as a cavity, our wireless platform enables triply resonant electro-optic frequency comb generation with mode spacing of 123.2 GHz and 307.9 GHz. Extracted single-photon electro-optic coupling rates of $g_{0} =2π\times 4.98$ kHz and $2π\times 9.93$ kHz, at 123.2 and 307.9 GHz, respectively, demonstrate favorable scaling with mmWave frequency. These results introduce a new class of wireless electro-optic devices for high-speed modulation, detection, and frequency comb generation, with impactful applications in communications, sensing, and quantum technologies.

ArXiv.org
National Science Foundation, European Commission, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Hans-Eggenberger-Stiftung, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme
Industry, innovation and infrastructure
Openalex Percentile: Top 52%
Photorefractive and Nonlinear Optics
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Wireless millimeterwave electro-optics on thin film lithium niobate · ArXiv.org (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS