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ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS | VOLUME 19 NO. 2
distribution of electromagnetic fields that are unique
to the incident signal. Typically, these subtle fields are
ignored, but the researchers realized that they could read
the patterns as a sort of signature to identify the waves.
The entire process can be accomplishedwith tiny devices
inside the microchip that read terahertz waves.
“Insteadof directly reading thewaves, weare interpret-
ing the patterns created by the waves,” Sengupta said. “It
is somewhat like looking for a pattern of raindrops by the
ripples they make in a pond.”
Daniel Mittleman, a professor of engineering at Brown
University, said the development was “a very innovative
piece of work, and it potentially has a lot of impact.”
Mittleman, who is the Vice Chair of the International
Society for Infrared Millimeter and Terahertz Waves, said
scientists still have work to do before the terahertz band
can begin to be used in everyday devices, but the develop-
ments are promising.
“It is a very big puzzlewithmany pieces, and this is just
one, but it is a very important one,” said Mittleman, who
is familiar with the work but had no role in it.
On the terahertz-generation end, much of the chal-
lenge is creating a wide range of wavelengths within
the terahertz band, particularly in a microchip. The
researchers realized they could overcome the problemby
generating multiple wavelengths on the chip. They then
used precise timing to combine these wavelengths and
create very sharp terahertz pulses.
In the paper “Dynamic Waveform Shaping with
Picosecond Time Widths,” published December 14, 2016,
in the
IEEE Journal of Solid-State Circuits
, the research-
ers explained how they created a chip to generate the
terahertz waves. The next step, the researchers said, is to
extend the work farther along the terahertz band. “Right
now we are working with the lower part of the terahertz
band,” saidXueWu, aPrincetondoctoral student in electri-
cal engineering and an author on both papers.
“What can youdowith a billion transistors operating at
terahertz frequencies?” Sengupta asked. “Only by reimag-
ining these complex electromagnetic interactions from
fundamental principles can we invent game-changing
new technology.”
Theotherpaper, “On-ChipTHzSpectroscopeExploiting
Electromagnetic ScatteringwithMulti-Port Antenna,”was
published September 2, 2016, in the
IEEE Journal of Solid-
State Circuits
. The research for both paperswas supported
in part by the National Science Foundation’s Division of
Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems (Grant
No. ECCS-1408490 and ECCS-1509560).
ITC 2017
The International Test Conference (ITC) will be held
October 31 toNovember 2, 2017,
at
the Fort Worth Convention Center in Fort Worth, Texas. ITC is theworld’s premier conference
dedicated to the electronic test of devices, boards, and systems and covers the complete
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design improvement. At ITC, test and design professionals can confront the challenges the industry faces and learn how
these challenges are being addressed by the combined efforts of academia, design tool and equipment suppliers, design-
ers, and test engineers.
ITC, the cornerstone of TestWeek events, offers a wide variety of technical activities targeted at test and design theo-
reticians and practitioners, including formal paper sessions, tutorials, panel sessions, case studies, a lecture series, com-
mercial exhibits and presentations, and a host of ancillary professional meetings.
ITC is sponsored by the IEEE. For more information, visit itctestweek.org.
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