The technical aspects of building a terahertz transceiver module for electromagnetic protection of objects from unauthorized penetration are considered. The new hardware and circuit design solution is based on the use of modern integrated circuits of terahertz transceivers in the 119-126 GHz range and a signal generation and processing board (frequency synthesizer board), interconnected by appropriate interfaces, and compatible with the Sirad Easy debugging kit from Silicon Radar. Mathematical modeling and simulation modeling of the electrical circuits of the transceiver module nodes were carried out using CAD NI Multisim, and 2D and 3D board models were designed using CAD Altium Designer, based on which electronic components were manufactured and mounted on the terahertz transceiver printed circuit board and the signal generation and processing printed circuit board of the transceiver module. A prototype of a terahertz range (119-126 GHz) transceiver module has been manufactured, in which the main ultrahighfrequency components (frequency mixer, local oscillator, amplifier, etc.) are implemented using SiGe silicon-germanium technology entirely within one small-sized integrated circuit with an integrated antenna (overall dimensions do not exceed 35 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length), which, at an output power of 3 mW, provides the required (within 100-300 m) range of the module as part of a short-range radar with optimal values of the radio line energy resource and the practical absence of the possibility of detection and unauthorized access to information transmitted in the terahertz frequency range.
Nowadays, the task of creating radio-electronic devices for promising applications in the field of
cybersecurity, information protection from its detection and unauthorized access to it, and
highprecision guidance and control systems, as well as the protection of movable and immovable
property has become an extremely important necessity [
The large bandwidth available at terahertz frequencies can offload low-frequency bands and
provide ultra-high-throughput applications for future wireless systems, including massive
multicore wireless networks on a chip, broadband backhaul for rural Internet access, and high-speed
The need to provide higher wireless data rates for the ever-increasing number of devices connected
to a wireless network stimulates the search for unused radio frequency spectrum resources. Due to
the increasing number of telecommunication systems that use electromagnetic radiation of various
frequency ranges, there is a need to create new wireless telecommunication technologies and
systems that would allow to increase the amount of information transmitted and do it at an
environmentally safe level of radio radiation. These requirements can be met by terahertz wireless
telecommunication technologies and broadband radio access systems with gigabit bandwidth
created on their basis for the implementation of ultra-high-speed (several Gbit/s and higher) local
computer networks and wireless transmission of high-definition (HDTV) and ultra-high-definition
(UHD) television programs, which require digital channels with a transmission rate of up to 6
Gbit/s [
A known technical solution that provides the effect of electromagnetic radiation from a
subterahertz (subTHz) radiation installation with a wavelength of 3..3.3 mm on the intruder, and
the location of the hidden intruder is previously determined, the location of the subTHz radiation
installation is calculated and the angle at which the electromagnetic radiation should be directed to
the reflecting surface is calculated [
There is a known method of protecting zones and objects from unauthorized penetration by
focused radiation of the subterahertz range [
The developed technology for electromagnetic protection of objects is based on the introduction of additional technological operations that involve the preliminary deployment of a radiating system based on the ground part and a high-altitude aerial platform (for example, a UAV), on which spatially separated low-power terahertz range emitting devices and terahertz range transceiver modules of the guidance and control systems of emitting devices are placed; a sensor wireless hierarchical network, which is divided into clusters, each cluster has a router-gateway acting as a main node and terahertz range sensors; placement of equipment for transferring the standard licensed frequency range to the terahertz frequency range and antennas for transmitting information in the terahertz range on the routers of the sensor wireless hierarchical network and the high-altitude aerial platform to create a communication channel in the terahertz range; placement on each high-altitude air platform of equipment that allows encapsulating data from the routers of the sensor wireless hierarchical network into data transmitted to the new generation LTE/5G mobile network; setting up an autonomous control system for the wireless communication network of the terahertz frequency range of the proposed solution, ensuring increased efficiency of the functioning of the security system infrastructure of the service area of particularly important special-purpose facilities in critical situations when a group of intruders penetrates a particularly important protected facility, and its scalability.
The key difference between this solution and traditional modern solutions used at particularly important special-purpose protected facilities is that the use of terahertz-band sensor devices provides a significant improvement in the delivery speed of routing protocols and power consumption when using the terahertz frequency range compared to frequencies below 6 GHz.
In addition, synchronously operating spatially separated low-power radiating devices of the terahertz range of UAVs allows for expanding the functionality and scalability of the radiating system using terahertz range transceiver modules for guidance and control systems of radiating devices by creating directed electromagnetic radiation by spatially separated radiating structure.
With the development of science and technology, the terahertz wave range is increasingly used in various sectors of the national economy. A new technical result of the proposed innovative solutions is the possibility of creating radio electronic devices and radio communication systems in the terahertz frequency range for promising applications in the field of cybersecurity, information protection from detection and unauthorized access to it, and high-precision guidance and control systems.
The digital future of humanity depends on the growing number of devices, services, and
products that rely on a limited radio frequency spectrum. Spectrum harmonization increases
economies of scale and availability of devices and services. Identifying and agreeing on available
spectrum for 5G and 6G communication systems with expanded coverage and bandwidth is
essential for economic deployment in Ukraine and is the prerogative of the World
Radiocommunication Conference (WRC), which regulates the use of the radio frequency spectrum
and geostationary and non-geostationary satellite orbits. Currently, project groups, including the
Electronic Communications Committee (ECC RT1) of the European Conference of
Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT), in which Ukraine actively participates [
In particular, THz frequencies promise to provide a wide spectrum, data rates of more than a hundred gigabits per second (Gbps), highly secure data transmission, mass connectivity, and denser networks. The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has identified THz technology as one of four major research areas and a key component of the next information technology revolution that could have a greater impact on society than the Internet itself.
The way modern society creates, distributes, and consumes information has led to an
unprecedented increase in the total number of interconnected devices, as well as the data rates at
which these devices transmit information. Considering the main areas of application of the
terahertz range, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has identified several main
areas, namely: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication
(mMTC), and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). mMTC and ultra-reliable low-latency
communication (uRLLC) are defined to support a wide range of traditional and emerging
applications and services anytime, anywhere [
6G networks, which will become a key factor in the intelligent information society by 2030, are
expected to provide higher performance than 5G in space, air, land, and underwater networks to
ensure ubiquitous and unlimited wireless communication based on the integration of various
promising radio access technologies for the 6G ecosystem, including THz communication [
Already now, American scientists from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), who are
engaged in the development and integration of aerospace warfare technologies, have managed to
achieve terahertz signal transmission at a speed of 2 Gbit/s over a distance of 2.03 km without a bit
error rate (BER), which may contribute to the development of 6G [
Next-generation wireless communication networks and the 6G ecosystem in the scientific
literature by foreign and domestic scientists [
A mathematical simulation of the FMCW radar operation was carried out for the case of both
the radar and the target motion, and the results of this simulation determined the main parameters
of the probing signal, which will ensure the required range of the transceiver module as part of the
guidance and control system. The SiRad Easy® Evaluation Kit was taken as the prototype of the
terahertz transceiver module [
The block diagram of the terahertz range transceiver module, which includes a frequency synthesizer, is shown in Fig. 1. According to Fig. 1, the transceiver module consists of three main components: (1) THz transceiver board based on the TRX_120_001 or TRA_120_002 IC; (2) Signal formation and processing board; (3) External lens antenna (if necessary).
The frequency synthesizer is part of the signal generation and processing board and is designed to generate a LFM signal of the appropriate duration, time form, and frequency stabilization of the voltage-controlled generator (VCG) TRX_120_001 or TRA_120_002 based on a phase auto-tuning frequency ring according to signals generated by the control device.
The THZ transceiver board is designed for:
Forming a carrier-frequency stable LFM signal with the appropriate radio frequency bandwidth using a VSG and a frequency doubler.
Amplifying the LFM signal and emitting it in the form of electromagnetic waves in the direction of the target.
Receiving a weak LFM signal reflected from the target and amplifying it in frequency. Forming I/Q signals that carry information about the beat frequency and phase for further determination of the range to the target.
In turn, the signal generation and processing board (frequency synthesizer and I/Q signal processing board) is designed for:
Generating a LFM signal to control the operation of the VSG TRX_120_001 or TRA_120_002.
Amplifying I/Q signals and matching their electrical parameters with the microcontroller interface.
The prototype of the THz transceiver board was taken from the Radar board of the SiRad Easy debugging layout from Silicon Radar. The Altium Designer computer-aided design (CAD) system was used to develop the electrical schematics of the transceiver module. This CAD allows you to perform the full range of operations necessary for the manufacture of the module, namely: to draw up electrical schematics, trace printed circuit boards, perform 2D and 3D visualization of the board, prepare printed circuit board files in the appropriate formats (Gerber) for the subsequent manufacture of photo templates for the boards, etc.
Fig. 2 shows a 3D model of the THZ transceiver board based on the TRA_120_002. As can be seen from Fig. 3, which shows a photograph with the results of a preliminary test of the THz transceiver board with a display of the reflector distribution profile in the “signal level— distance” coordinates, the range to the target, which in this case is the ceiling of the laboratory room, is uniquely determined by the position of the maximum peak of the reflected signal on the personal computer screen.
The main result of the research is the development of a prototype of a terahertz range (119–126 GHz) transceiver module for guidance and control systems for various objects, the overall dimensions of which do not exceed 35 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length with an integrated antenna, which, at an output power of 3 mW, can provide a range of up to 100-300 m. Technical solutions for increasing the range of the terahertz range transceiver module by using an external lens antenna are substantiated and proposed. The introduction of additional focused radiation of the terahertz wave range into the automated complex for protecting zones and objects from unauthorized penetration of the terahertz range receiver-transmitter modules of the guidance and control systems of UAV radiating devices and the development of an improved model of an integrated complex security system for a special object and information protection ensures an increase in the effectiveness of their application. The use of radio signals of the terahertz frequency range increases the sensitivity of receivers and reduces the impact of fading during multi-beam propagation of waves and, accordingly, ensures an increase in the noise immunity of information transmission, guidance, control, and management channels.
The terahertz range (119–126 GHz) transceiver module using silicon-germanium technology, the overall dimensions of which do not exceed 35 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length with an integrated antenna, with an output power of 3 mW, can provide a range of up to 100–300 m. The ability to operate with low radiated power provides, in addition to the secrecy of signal transmission, also miniaturization of equipment and economical energy consumption.
Synchronously operating spatially separated low-power radiating devices of the terahertz range of UAVs allow expanding the functionality and scalability of the radiating system using terahertz range transceiver modules for guidance and control systems of radiating devices by creating directed electromagnetic radiation by a spatially separated radiating structure.
The applied terahertz technologies create the prerequisites for the further development of highly competitive technological areas, the use of which contributes to solving the most important technological problems and implementing priority areas of development of various types of equipment.
This work was partially funded by the National Research Foundation of Ukraine through the Framework of “Microwave Devices Based on Resonant Structures with Metamaterial Properties for the Life Protection and Information Security of Ukraine” under Project 2021.01/0030. Declaration on Generative AI While preparing this work, the authors used the AI programs Grammarly Pro to correct text grammar and Strike Plagiarism to search for possible plagiarism. After using this tool, the authors reviewed and edited the content as needed and took full responsibility for the publication’s content.