Coherent electrical serdes in the thz range

A network element, comprising:

• one or more antennas operable to detect one or more radiated signals and generate one or more antenna output signals based on the one or more radiated signals, each of the one or more radiated signals being radiated electromagnetic waves having client data encoded therein and a frequency in a range between 300 Gigahertz (GHz) and 10 Terahertz (THz);
• one or more demodulators operable to:
• receive the one or more antenna output signals from the one or more antennas;
• split each of the one or more antenna output signals into one or more pairs of intermediate signals, each of the one or more pairs of intermediate signals including a first intermediate signal based on a particular antenna output signal of the one or more antenna output signals and a second intermediate signal based on the particular antenna output signal;
• and
• down-convert the first intermediate signal and the second intermediate signal of each of the one or more pairs of intermediate signals to generate one or more pairs of serial baseband signals, each of the one or more pairs of serial baseband signals including a first serial baseband signal based on the first intermediate signal and a second serial baseband signal based on the second intermediate signal;
• and
• one or more deserializers operable to receive the one or more pairs of serial baseband signals from the one or more demodulators and de-multiplex the one or more pairs of serial baseband signals to generate a plurality of parallel baseband signals.

A network element, comprising:

• one or more serializers operable to receive a plurality of outbound parallel baseband signals and multiplex the plurality of outbound parallel baseband signals to generate one or more pairs of outbound serial baseband signals, each of the plurality of outbound parallel baseband signals having outbound client data encoded therein, each of the one or more pairs of outbound serial baseband signals including a first outbound serial baseband signal and a second outbound serial baseband signal;
• one or more modulators operable to:
• receive the one or more pairs of outbound serial baseband signals from the one or more serializers;
• up-convert the first outbound serial baseband signal and the second outbound serial baseband signal of each of the one or more pairs of outbound serial baseband signals to generate one or more pairs of outbound intermediate signals, each of the one or more pairs of outbound intermediate signals including a first outbound intermediate signal based on the first outbound serial baseband signal and a second outbound intermediate signal based on the second outbound serial baseband signal;
• and
• combine the first outbound intermediate signal and the second outbound intermediate signal of each of the one or more pairs of outbound intermediate signals into one or more antenna feed signals;
• and
• one or more transmitter antennas operable to receive the one or more antenna feed signals from the one or more modulators and generate one or more outbound radiated signals based on the one or more antenna feed signals, each of the one or more outbound radiated signals being radiated electromagnetic waves and having a first frequency in a range between 300 Gigahertz (GHz) and 10 Terahertz (THz);
• one or more receiver antennas operable to detect one or more inbound radiated signals and generate one or more antenna output signals based on the one or more inbound radiated signals, each of the one or more inbound radiated signals being radiated electromagnetic waves and having inbound client data encoded therein and a second frequency in the range between 300 GHz and 10 THz;
• one or more demodulators operable to:
• receive the one or more antenna output signals from the one or more receiver antennas;
• split each of the one or more antenna output signals into one or more pairs of inbound intermediate signals, each of the one or more pairs of inbound intermediate signals including a first inbound intermediate signal based on a particular antenna output signal of the one or more antenna output signals and a second inbound intermediate signal based on the particular antenna output signal;
• and
• down-convert the first inbound intermediate signal and the second inbound intermediate signal of each of the one or more pairs of inbound intermediate signals to generate one or more pairs of inbound serial baseband signals, each of the one or more pairs of inbound serial baseband signals including a first inbound serial baseband signal based on the first inbound intermediate signal and a second inbound serial baseband signal based on the second inbound intermediate signal;
• and
• one or more deserializers operable to receive the one or more pairs of inbound serial baseband signals from the one or more demodulators and de-multiplex the one or more pairs of inbound serial baseband signals to generate a plurality of inbound parallel baseband signals.