Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

In this proposal, we seek to advance our Distributed Antenna Ultra-wideband Sub-Terahertz (DART) system to achieve the world's first truly distributed sub-THz communication network, offering high data rates and low-cost wireless communication within the 100 to 300 GHz RF range. To realize this goal, there is an urgent need to replace our existing software-defined radio (SDR) transceivers and acquire additional high-powered amplifiers, low-noise amplifiers, and bandpass filters capable of operating in the 140-220 GHz range. The requested equipment will enable very high sampling rates for improved signal processing, increase transmission range within cost constraints, and allow for wider bandwidth operation. Without these upgrades, our research activities across funded initiatives, including Alliance, CFI, Discovery grants, and applied proposals, are severely hindered, preventing us from implementing the DART system with distributed antennas and meeting key performance indicators for the next wireless generation. Our team of more than 30 highly qualified personnel relies on this equipment to advance their research, and any delays will disadvantage our group, diminish our leadership position, limit professional development, hamper recruitment, reduce our competitiveness for research funding, and impair our ability to publish high-impact papers. Upgrading our setup is essential to conduct sophisticated experiments that drive significant advances in sub-THz research, address real-world challenges, develop new communication protocols and hardware for sub-THz frequencies, and foster innovation in next-generation wireless technologies such as Advanced 5G NR and 6G. Therefore, acquiring the requested equipment is urgently needed to achieve cost-efficient research with high significance and impact, fully exploit existing resources, maintain our leadership in sub-THz research, and contribute groundbreaking advancements to the field of wireless communications.