| 2. Project and Research
Imagine paying for your purchases at a shop’s checkout using your smartphone. For many people, this is an everyday action now.
Now picture the same scene, but in the future. As well as showing the amount to be paid, the display features an icon for a TV series or film saga that you’re passionate about. You could watch it that evening at home with your loved ones. You point your phone at the icon and, in the time it takes to read the barcode, the whole series or film saga has been downloaded! An exceptional technological advancement! It’s a remarkable convenience that’s in line with what we expect from the near future.
The HERMES project is shaping this future, by creating a hyper-speed data exchange unit based on nanomaterials. This unit is capable of simultaneously transmitting and receiving data in a completely secure and protected manner at an unimaginable speed. By exploiting the terahertz (THz) frequency band, virtually no energy is consumed and no heat is produced, making it suitable for implementation in any device in the foreseeable future.
Duration: 4 years: 2025-2029
Consortium: 5 Universities, 1 Research center, 3 Companies
The HERMES project is a public scientific research endeavour focusing on information and communication technologies (ICT). It comprises nine collaborating working groups from academic institutions, research organisations and industrial partners. The aim is to use ultra-thin, two-dimensional (2D) crystalline substances with a thickness of only one or a few atoms (nanomaterials) to create an innovative wireless communication system that will form the basis for future generations of smart devices.
RESEARCH
The research project’s ambitious goal is to create innovative devices based on graphene and other two-dimensional materials that can be integrated into terahertz communication systems. These devices would enable high bandwidth and breakthrough performance for hyperspeed data exchange units, ensuring the secure transmission of data at unprecedented speeds. As these devices operate in the terahertz frequency band, they consume virtually no energy and produce no heat.
This significantly surpasses the capabilities of existing technologies, making them ideal for future applications.
TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENT
The project promotes career development by exposing young researchers to fundamental scientific challenges and practical industrial applications. Training activities, secondments and collaborations with industry partners will improve their technical, entrepreneurial and innovative skills, thereby broadening their career prospects.
NETWORKING
Collaboration among consortium members lies at the heart of HERMES’ vision and strategy. The aim is to facilitate the exchange of value in order to establish an international, interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral network of long-term expertise in graphene electronics, quantum technologies and wireless communications.
An ultra-fast [100 Gbit/s] short-range wireless communication system [UF/SR WCS]
A vision for future communication systems (6G and beyond) is to integrate THz emitters and detectors based on graphene and other 2D nanomaterials into conventional systems:
• Overcome limitations of current short-range wireless communication systems;
• Develop novel components using graphene and other 2D nanomaterials, operating in the THz range;
• Target Applications: Real-time high-quality data streaming, secure ultra-fast data exchange, monitoring systems, sensing/medical applications, and BAN/PAN technologies.
Developing graphene-based THz detectors and emitters
Physical Challenges: designing and demonstrating novel room-temperature THz emitters, detectors, and transceivers based on 2D nanomaterials with improved performance.
Expected outcomes:
• a novel THz emitter with CVD graphene (DEMO 1);
• a novel THz detector with 2D nanomaterials (DEMO 2).
Graphene THz devices offer potential solutions for achieving high data rates and low power consumption, overcoming limitations of conventional materials.
Integrating graphene devices into electronics/photonics links
Engineering Challenges:
• Integrating THz devices into silicon;
• developing high-speed optical or electro/optical interfaces for reliable communication.
Expected outcomes:
• THz emitter and detectors integrated into silicon (DEMO 1, 2);
• all-optical or electro/optical interface between THz devices and communication link (DEMO 3).
All devices and interfaces will operate at room temperature without cooling.
___________________
