skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.


Title: Propagation Measurement System and Approach at 140 GHz-Moving to 6G and Above 100 GHz
Abstract: With the relatively recent realization that millimeter wave frequencies are viable for mobile communications, extensive measurements and research have been conducted on frequencies from 0.5 to 100 GHz, and several global wireless standard bodies have proposed channel models for frequencies below 100 GHz. Presently, little is known about the radio channel above 100 GHz where there are much wider unused bandwidth slots available. This paper summarizes wireless communication research and activities above 100 GHz, overviews the results of previously published propagation measurements at D-band (110-170 GHz), provides the design of a 140 GHz wideband channel sounder system, and proposes indoor wideband propagation measurements and penetration measurements for common materials at 140 GHz which were not previously investigated.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1702967 1731290
PAR ID:
10095773
Author(s) / Creator(s):
;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
2018 IEEE Global Communications Conference (GLOBECOM)
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1 to 6
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. Abstract—Sub-Terahertz frequencies (frequencies above 100 GHz) have the potential to satisfy the unprecedented demand on data rate on the order of hundreds of Gbps for sixth-generation (6G) wireless communications and beyond. Accurate beam tracking and rapid beam selection are increasingly important since antenna arrays with more elements generate narrower beams to compensate for additional path loss within the first meter of propagation distance at sub-THz frequencies. Realistic channel models for above 100 GHz are needed, and should include spatial consistency to model the spatial and temporal channel evolution along the user trajectory. This paper introduces recent outdoor urban microcell (UMi) propagation measurements at 142 GHz along a 39 m  12 m rectangular route (102 m long), where each consecutive and adjacent receiver location is 3 m apart from each other. The measured power delay profiles and angular power spectrum at each receiver location are used to study spatial autocorrelation properties of various channel parameters such as shadow fading, delay spread, and angular spread along the track. Compared to the correlation distances reported in the 3GPP TR 38.901 for frequencies below 100 GHz, the measured correlation distance of shadow fading at 142 GHz (3.8 m) is much shorter than the 10-13 m as specified in 3GPP; the measured correlation distances of delay spread and angular spread at 142 GHz (both 12 m) are comparable to the 7-10 m as specified in 3GPP. This result may guide the development of a statistical spatially consistent channel model for frequencies above 100 GHz in the UMi street canyon environment. Index Terms—Terahertz; Spatial Consistency; Channel Measurement; Channel Modeling; 140 GHz; 142 GHz; 5G; 6G 
    more » « less
  2. null (Ed.)
    This paper provides indoor reflection, scattering, transmission, and large-scale path loss measurements and models, which describe the main propagation mechanisms at millimeter wave and Terahertz frequencies. Channel properties for common building materials (drywall and clear glass) are carefully studied at 28, 73, and 140 GHz using a wideband sliding correlation based channel sounder system with rotatable narrow-beam horn antennas. Reflection coefficient is shown to linearly increase as the incident angle increases, and lower reflection loss (e.g., stronger reflections) are observed as frequencies increase for a given incident angle. Although backscatter from drywall is present at 28, 73, and 140 GHz, smooth surfaces (like drywall) are shown to be modeled as a simple reflected surface, since the scattered power is 20 dB or more below the reflected power over the measured range of frequency and angles. Partition loss tends to increase with frequency, but the amount of loss is material dependent. Both clear glass and drywall are shown to induce a depolarizing effect, which becomes more prominent as frequency increases. Indoor propagation measurements and large-scale indoor path loss models at 140 GHz are provided, revealing similar path loss exponent and shadow fading as observed at 28 and 73 GHz. The measurements and models in this paper can be used for future wireless system design and other applications within buildings for frequencies above 100 GHz 
    more » « less
  3. Terahertz frequency bands will likely be used for the next-generation wireless communication systems to provide data rates of hundreds of Gbps or even Tbps because of the wide swaths of unused and unexplored spectrum. This paper presents two outdoor wideband measurement campaigns in downtown Brooklyn (urban microcell environment) in the sub-THz band of 140 GHz with TX-RX separation distance up to 100 m: i) terrestrial urban microcell measurement campaign, and ii) rooftop surrogate satellite and backhaul measurement campaign. Outdoor omnidirectional and directional path loss models for both line-of-sight and non-line-of-sight scenarios, as well as foliage loss (signal attenuation through foliage), are provided at 140 GHz for urban microcell environments. These measurements and models provide an understanding of both the outdoor terrestrial (e.g., 6G cellular and backhaul) and non-terrestrial (e.g., satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle communications) wireless channels, and prove the feasibility of using THz frequency bands for outdoor fixed and mobile cellular communications. This paper can be used for future outdoor wireless system design at frequencies above 100 GHz. 
    more » « less
  4. Abstract—This letter provides a comparison of indoor radio propagation measurements and corresponding channel statistics at 28, 73, and 140 GHz, based on extensive measurements from 2014-2020 in an indoor office environment. Side-by-side comparisons of propagation characteristics (e.g., large-scale path loss and multipath time dispersion) across a wide range of frequencies from the low millimeter wave band of 28 GHz to the sub-THz band of 140 GHz illustrate the key similarities and differences in indoor wireless channels. The measurements and models show remarkably similar path loss exponents over frequencies in both line-of-sight (LOS) and non-LOS (NLOS) scenarios, when using a one meter free space reference distance, while the multipath time dispersion becomes smaller at higher frequencies. The 3GPP indoor channel model overestimates the large-scale path loss and has unrealistic large numbers of clusters and multipath components per cluster compared to the measured channel statistics in this letter. Index Terms—mmWave, THz, channel models, multipath time dispersion, 5G, 6G, large-scale path loss, 3GPP InH. 
    more » « less
  5. Abstract Sixth-generation wireless networks will aggregate higher-than-ever mobile traffic into ultra-high capacity backhaul links, which could be deployed on the largely untapped spectrum above 100 GHz. Current regulations however prevent the allocation of large contiguous bands for communications at these frequencies, since several narrow bands are reserved to protect passive sensing services. These include radio astronomy and Earth exploration satellites using sensors that suffer from harmful interference from active transmitters. Here we show that active and passive spectrum sharing above 100 GHz is feasible by introducing and experimentally evaluating a real-time, dual-band backhaul prototype that tracks the presence of passive users (in this case the NASA satellite Aura) and avoids interference by automatically switching bands (123.5–140 GHz and 210–225 GHz). Our system enables wide-band transmissions in the above-100-GHz spectrum, while avoiding harmful interference to satellite systems, paving the way for innovative spectrum policy and technologies in these crucial bands. 
    more » « less