TERAOPTICS

The TERAOPTICS project — full title “Terahertz Photonics for Communications, Space, Security, Radio-Astronomy, and Material Science” — is a European Training Network (ETN) funded with approximately €4 million under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie programme within the EU’s Horizon 2020 framework (Grant Agreement No. 956857). Running from September 2020 to February 2025, the project addresses the growing demand for highly skilled researchers and engineers in the field of terahertz (THz) photonics — a technology recognised as a key enabler for a wide range of future applications.

Building on recent scientific breakthroughs such as photonics-mediated generation of ultra-low phase noise THz signals, THz photonics is seen as a key enabling technology for a variety of applications. The main challenges for a commercial market breakthrough include achieving high output power over a large frequency range, reducing noise in transmitter and receiver systems, realising compact and lightweight designs, and developing the capability to shape and form THz beams as required for specific applications. TERAOPTICS addresses all of these challenges through integrated photonics approaches — covering the full development chain from the design of optical chips, including novel laser sources and beamforming networks, through to the packaging of chips into usable components.

The overarching objective of the project is to provide high-level training to a new generation of fifteen early-stage researchers (ESRs), equipping them with the scientific, technical, and transferable skills needed to build careers in both academia and industry, and to create the next generation of excellent, creative, and risk-taking engineers and scientists in the THz photonics field. This training is delivered through a unique, internationally renowned, interdisciplinary and inter-sectorial network that combines formal workshop-style instruction with hands-on research experience, non-academic placements, and scientific conferences. The project’s targeted application areas span communications, space, security, radio-astronomy, and material science.

Microwave Photonics GmbH participates in TERAOPTICS as one of the eleven core beneficiaries of the network. In this capacity, Microwave Photonics brings its industry-level expertise in RF photonic components, THz emitter development, and radio-over-fiber technologies to bear on some of the most technically challenging aspects of the project. The company hosts early-stage researchers during their non-academic secondments and plays an active role in bridging the gap between laboratory research and real-world commercial application.