Rohde & Schwarz FSW signal and spectrum analyser operates at sub-THz

Rohde & Schwarz has demonstrated multi Gb data transmission in the D-Band at 140GHz.

The setup features the R&S FSW signal and spectrum analyzer equipped with an R&S FSW-B8001 option, supporting 8.3GHz internal analysis bandwidth.

The company claims its setup represents some of the first research exploring data transmission at sub-THz frequencies featuring ultra-wide bandwidths.

In the setup, a wideband-baseband signal is upconverted to the selected 140GHz frequency via a TC RSE converter box.

A SMA100B provides the local oscillator frequency to the upconverter.

The transmission is carried out over-the-air, with the converter connected to a horn antenna. It’s then received via another horn antenna and downconverted.

The R&S FSW-B8001, featuring the 8.3GHz option, analyzes the signal, carrying out signal quality measurements such as error vector magnitude to assess the performance of the transmission.

Various common modulation formats are also demonstrated.

The proposed setup can be installed into the R&S ATS1000 antenna test system, enabling design engineers to characterize prototypes and reference designs for future devices with wider bandwidths.

For example, IEEE’s 802.11ay standard allows channel bonding that creates a signal with more than 8GHz of bandwidth already today.

Andreas Roessler, technology manager, says, “While Rohde & Schwarz is meeting the test needs for 5G technology that is still being defined and rolled out today, we are already investigating ways in which the technology is developing tomorrow. This groundbreaking D-band test represents a notable step towards research beyond 5G, leading to the next generation of mobile technology.”