Analog signal processing in the terahertz communication links using waveguide Bragg gratings: example of dispersion compensation.

We study the possibility of analog signal processing for the upcoming terahertz (THz) high-bitrate communications using as an example the problem of dispersion compensation in the THz communication links. In particular, two Waveguide Bragg Grating devices (WBGs) operating in the transmission mode are detailed. WBGs are designed by introducing periodic corrugation onto the inner surface of the metalized tubes. The resultant devices operate in a single mode regime either in the vicinity of the modal cutoff or in the vicinity of a bandgap edge, featuring large negative group velocity dispersions (GVD). We fabricate the proposed WBGs using 3D stereolithography, and metallize them using wet chemistry. Optical properties of the fabricated WBGs are investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The results confirm single mode guidance, relatively high coupling efficiency, as well as large negative group velocity dispersions in the range of several -100's ps/(THz · cm) in the vicinity of 0.14THz. This makes the short sections of proposed WBGs suitable for compensating positive dispersion incurred in the THz wireless links or fiber-assisted THz interconnects for signals of several-GHz bandwidth. Finally, we comment on the challenges associated with the analog signal processing in the THz spectral range.