320GHz resonant tunnelling transmit and receive diodes

Rohm is sampling 320GHz resonant tunneling transmit and receive diodes in 4 x 4.3mm PLCC packaging, borrowed from LED production.

Rohm Terahertz tx and rx 785

“Terahertz waves are anticipated to be applied to non-destructive testing, imaging and sensing in the medical and healthcare sectors, as well as potentially fast communication technologies,” according to the company.

The die within measure 500 x 500μm and are capable of oscillating and detecting ~320GHz energy, with an output power ranging from 10 to 20µW.


Positioned facing each other with the die 10mm apart, a typical dynamic range of 40dB can be achieved, according to the company. Oscillator and detector need around 10mW each.


“The terahertz R&D team and I have dedicated ourselves to THz devices for about 15 years. The journey has not been easy – we gathered the forces of industry, academia, and government along the way,” said Rohm R&D centre manager Ken Nakahara. “The team understands that this announcement is just a small step toward the commercialization of THz technology, but at the same time, it is a giant leap for us.”

Rohm Terahertz tx and rx eval kit 790Evaluation kits are being created. Used with Digilent’s Analog Discovery 3 and a computer “users can easily operate terahertz wave oscillation and detection devices”, said Rohm.

Both THz diodes and evaluation kits are only available to those entering into a non-disclosure agreement with ROHM.

Steve Bush

Steve Bush is the long-standing technology editor for Electronics Weekly, covering electronics developments for more than 25 years. He has a particular interest in the Power and Embedded areas of the industry. He also writes for the Engineer In Wonderland blog, covering 3D printing, CNC machines and miscellaneous other engineering matters.

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