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Description
Sub-Terahertz (sub-THz) radiation is one of the candidate bandwidths for 6G and future wireless networks due to its ability to deliver much higher data rates and greater capacity than lower-frequency bands. However, its shorter wavelength leads to significant free-space path loss (FSPL) in line-of-sight (LOS) conditions for a given link distance and fixed antenna gains. In non-line-of-sight (NLOS) scenarios, signal penetration loss is also substantially higher compared to lower frequencies, which can severely limit network coverage. Consequently, analyzing NLOS penetration loss across various building materials at THz frequencies is essential for accurate indoor link budget design and performance evaluation. To address this, our study measures the penetration loss and attenuation of some basic construction materials within the sub-THz band at 131.6 GHz. The blocks of the transmitting and the receiving units are based on a heterodyne architecture and facilitate the transmission and reception of signals in the terahertz frequency range, specifically between 130 and 134 GHz. The intermediate frequency range is 2–4 GHz.
Results show that the penetration loss changes on this range extensively based on the material properties and material thickness, ranging from 3.2 dB to 10.8 dB for Medium-Density Fibreboard at (0.3-0.6) cm, and 5.8 dB to 15.1 dB for Plywood at (0.4-1.2) cm at 131.6 GHz. The highest attenuation of 14.5 dB/cm was observed for Plywood at 131.6 GHz. Overall, the penetration loss and attenuation increase with greater material thickness for all the materials.
These results could be helpful for developing accurate penetration models of common building materials for ray-tracing simulations and further building THz wireless channel models that accurately predict the penetration loss.
Acknowledgments. This work was supported by the DAAD project "Sustainable Optical Materials and Methods: Education and Research Infrastructure (SOMMER!)".