Is Wireless Technology Invading Laser Frequencies?

Rohm a Japanese semiconductor company  has created a 1.5mm X 3mm semiconductor with an antenna, this chip can transmit 1.5Gb per second but that's not it, Rohm is planning to reach 30Gbps.

For those who doesn't understand these numbers your current wireless router can deliver data with speed up to 300Mbps (theoretical value for IEEE802.11n), which means that this chip -so far- can deliver data 5 times faster than your current wireless router.

But what is the secret behind this very high data rate for such a small chip? The answer is using high frequencies and that's actually what Rohm did, they have used frequencies between (300GHz - 3THz) for transmission and reception of data. which will offer fast transmission and large bandwidth and eventually higher data rates.

As it is known the higher the frequency is the more directional the signal becomes and the less the ability to penetrate materials, this means that this chip -which works in terahertz band (same frequency range of the light)- needs line of sight to communicate with others and cannot penetrate water nor metallic materials, in other words this chip would work in device to device communications such as ad-hoc connections but won't replace the current 2.5 - 5 GHz wireless connections.

Rohm company says that the chip should cost less than $5 and it should come to market in few years, so from now on when we talk about terahertz it's not only lasers we are talking because wireless technology has invaded this frequency band.