JNCASR Researchers Create Silicon Chip Enabling Terahertz Data Transmission for 6G Networks

Exam-focused facts from the 5 November 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

On 4 November 2026, researchers at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) developed a silicon chip that lets terahertz waves pass through engineered barriers with minimal signal loss, achieving 100 Gbit/s data transmission for compact circuits designed for future 6G networks.
The research was published in Advanced Materials.
Terahertz frequencies span 0.1–10 THz, between microwave and far-infrared radiation, and offer wide bandwidth but suffer high signal loss; atmospheric gases absorb most terahertz energy within a few metres.
The JNCASR team plans to tune the chip's barriers electrically, thermally or mechanically to redirect signals between paths on demand.
In 2024, a University of Adelaide team developed an ultra-wideband integrated terahertz polarisation (de)multiplexer on a substrateless silicon base, tested in the 220–330 GHz J-band, carrying multiple data streams to double capacity.
In December 2023, Nanyang Technological University researchers led by Ranjan Singh developed two terahertz chips: one transmitting up to 160 Gbit/s switchable by light, and another isolating two channels supporting 1.5 Gbit/s HD video and 40 Gbit/s data.
6G frequency bands remain undecided, though 100 GHz–3 THz has been identified as promising for its unused spectrum.