Terahertz Channel Transmission in Dielectric Waveguide Near PCB Substrate

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Liu, Wenbo, Zhao, Jiabiao, Huang, Kefeng, Li, Peian, Xu, Baiquan, Cao, Yang, Hu, Weidong, Ma, Jianjun
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2026
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author Liu, Wenbo
Zhao, Jiabiao
Huang, Kefeng
Li, Peian
Xu, Baiquan
Cao, Yang
Hu, Weidong
Ma, Jianjun
author_facet Liu, Wenbo
Zhao, Jiabiao
Huang, Kefeng
Li, Peian
Xu, Baiquan
Cao, Yang
Hu, Weidong
Ma, Jianjun
contents The growing demand for high-capacity, low-loss short-reach links in highly integrated electronic systems makes it necessary to understand how terahertz (THz) dielectric waveguides behave in realistic PCB-level packaging environments. In this article, we investigate the channel transmission of a 3D-printed polypropylene dielectric waveguide placed near representative PCB substrates. Continuous-wave THz measurements are carried out for bare, fully copper-clad, and periodic copper-trace PCBs with different waveguide-PCB separations, while terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is used to characterize the dielectric properties of the substrate materials. In parallel, an equivalent radiation-channel model and simulations are employed to interpret the proximity-induced excess attenuation. Most notably, direct contact with a bare PCB produces severe and frequency-selective excess loss, whereas a waveguide-facing copper layer suppresses substrate-assisted leakage and reduces the excess loss, with the attenuation rapidly decreasing as the clearance increases. These results reveal the dominant near-field coupling mechanisms between dielectric waveguides and nearby PCB structures, and provide practical guidance for packaging-aware THz interconnect design.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_24966
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Terahertz Channel Transmission in Dielectric Waveguide Near PCB Substrate
Liu, Wenbo
Zhao, Jiabiao
Huang, Kefeng
Li, Peian
Xu, Baiquan
Cao, Yang
Hu, Weidong
Ma, Jianjun
Applied Physics
The growing demand for high-capacity, low-loss short-reach links in highly integrated electronic systems makes it necessary to understand how terahertz (THz) dielectric waveguides behave in realistic PCB-level packaging environments. In this article, we investigate the channel transmission of a 3D-printed polypropylene dielectric waveguide placed near representative PCB substrates. Continuous-wave THz measurements are carried out for bare, fully copper-clad, and periodic copper-trace PCBs with different waveguide-PCB separations, while terahertz time-domain spectroscopy is used to characterize the dielectric properties of the substrate materials. In parallel, an equivalent radiation-channel model and simulations are employed to interpret the proximity-induced excess attenuation. Most notably, direct contact with a bare PCB produces severe and frequency-selective excess loss, whereas a waveguide-facing copper layer suppresses substrate-assisted leakage and reduces the excess loss, with the attenuation rapidly decreasing as the clearance increases. These results reveal the dominant near-field coupling mechanisms between dielectric waveguides and nearby PCB structures, and provide practical guidance for packaging-aware THz interconnect design.
title Terahertz Channel Transmission in Dielectric Waveguide Near PCB Substrate
topic Applied Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.24966