Research Projects

The terahertz band is poised to transform 6G wireless networks by enabling data rates exceeding 100 Gbps and sub-millimetre sensing resolution, supporting groundbreaking applications such as holographic communication, ultra-precise autonomous navigation, biomedical imaging, and advanced security screening. Due to its small wavelength, the terahertz band allows compact antenna designs and dense MIMO arrays, which enhance spectral efficiency and spatial multiplexing. This makes the terahertz spectrum a strong candidate for 6G applications across URLLC, mMTC, and eMBB, facilitating real-time virtual reality, large-scale IoT connectivity, and high-accuracy environmental sensing. However, terahertz propagation presents major challenges for practical deployment. Severe free-space path loss proportional to λ² , results in attenuation levels of 80–100 dB/km at 0.3 THz, restricting communication to short distances (typically under 100 m). Molecular absorption, especially by atmospheric water vapor (e.g., peaks near 0.557 THz), can add up to 10 dB/km of additional loss in humid conditions. Terahertz signals are also easily blocked by physical obstructions such as walls, vegetation, and human bodies, making non-line-of-sight (NLOS) connectivity difficult. Conventional high-gain antennas produce narrow beams, complicating dynamic alignment for mobile or multi-target scenarios. Meanwhile, active phased arrays increase power consumption and hardware complexity, with terahertz power amplifiers operating at low efficiencies (5–10%), making them unsuitable for large-scale 6G systems. Reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS) offer a promising solution by enabling multifunctional RF systems that integrate communication and sensing within a single platform. RISs manipulate the phase of reflected waves to focus energy, improving SNR by 10–20 dB compared to traditional omnidirectional antennas, and can dynamically redirect beams to maintain over 95% link reliability in NLOS scenarios. This proposal focuses on the design of a multifunctional RIS operating in the 0.3–0.5 THz range, capable of ultra-wide beam scanning (±70°), simultaneous multi-beam operation (2–4 beams via phase gradient control based on Snell’s law), and orbital angular momentum (OAM) beam generation. These features enable throughput exceeding 400 Gbps for high-capacity communication, including holographic telepresence and large-scale IoT networks. For sensing, the RIS achieves spatial resolutions better than 0.1 mm, supporting precise multi-target tracking through beam steering and OAM-based rotational Doppler techniques. The RIS architecture, enhanced by low-power reconfigurable elements, offers up to 40–50% reduction in power consumption and 30–50% lower hardware complexity compared to traditional MIMO systems, effectively addressing terahertz propagation challenges and unlocking the full potential of 6G communications.