Researchers developed a multi-segment gallium arsenide (GaAs) photonic power converter that can simultaneously harvest energy and transmit data at record speeds of 3.8 Gbps, paving the way for self-powered, high-speed 6G optical communication systems.
The world is moving toward a hyper-connected 6G era — one filled with IoT devices, autonomous systems, and ultra-fast data exchange. But all this connectivity comes with a major challenge: power.
Batteries degrade, cables limit mobility, and replacing power sources for billions of devices is unsustainable. That’s where energy harvesting — capturing energy from the environment — steps in.
Now imagine if a single device could receive data and power at the same time, using light! 💡
That’s precisely what researchers from the University of Cambridge and Fraunhofer ISE have achieved in their paper “Multi-Segment Photonic Power Converters for Energy Harvesting and High-Speed Optical Wireless Communication.”
Their innovation could redefine how future 6G systems deliver both gigabit-speed connectivity and wireless power — all through photonic power converters (PPCs).
Traditional wireless systems rely on radio frequencies (RF) for transmitting data. However, RF signals:
In contrast, optical wireless communication (OWC) uses laser or LED light beams to transmit data. These light-based signals:
But what if the same light beam could also charge devices?
This concept — known as Simultaneous Lightwave Information and Power Transfer (SLIPT) — uses photovoltaic cells to both detect data and harvest energy from the same optical beam.
That’s exactly the magic of photonic power converters (PPCs), particularly those made from gallium arsenide (GaAs).
Silicon, the material used in most solar cells, is affordable but slow for communication. GaAs, on the other hand, offers:
⚡ 6× higher electron mobility — faster data detection
🌈 Direct bandgap — better absorption of light for power conversion
💎 High-quality lattice structure — fewer energy losses
This makes GaAs-based PPCs ideal for combining energy harvesting with high-speed data transfer.
In previous experiments, single GaAs PPCs achieved 1 Gbps data rates with around 40% power conversion efficiency (PCE). But pushing beyond that required a clever solution to a hidden problem: capacitance.
In photonic power converters, the larger the active area, the more light (and thus power) the cell collects. But a larger area also means higher capacitance, which slows down how fast the cell can respond to changing light — limiting data rates.
This creates a classic engineering trade-off:
“Do we want more power or faster data?”
The Cambridge–Fraunhofer team found a way to have both. 🎯
Instead of one big cell, the researchers split the Gallium Arsenide PPC into smaller segments, like slicing a pizza 🍕 into 2, 4, or 6 pieces.
Each “slice” (segment):
This clever “multi-segment” design maintains light collection efficiency while drastically increasing bandwidth and data speed.
Here’s how the researchers put their concept to the test:
Different PPCs with 2, 4, and 6 segments were tested, with circular active areas ranging from 1 mm to 2.08 mm in diameter.
The findings were spectacular:
| PPC Type | Segments | Data Rate | Power Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mm GaAs | 2 → 4 | 2.4 → 3.3 Gbps | 22–39% |
| 1.5 mm GaAs | 2 → 4 | 1.2 → 2.6 Gbps | 28–38% |
| 2.08 mm GaAs | 2 → 6 | 0.7 → 3.8 Gbps | Up to 39.7% |
✨ 3.8 Gbps — that’s four times faster than any previous PPC-based communication link!
And even at this blazing speed, the device still converted nearly 40% of the incoming optical power into usable electrical energy.
The magic lies in reducing junction capacitance.
This smart design enabled bandwidths of nearly 1 GHz, an enormous leap for light-based energy-harvesting systems.
Of course, this new architecture isn’t without challenges.
In their tests, the 6-segment version had slightly lower energy harvesting efficiency because of alignment sensitivity. However, it still delivered the highest data speed.
For real-world systems — like 6G backhaul links or smart city infrastructure — fine-tuning this balance between alignment precision and energy efficiency will be key.
This research brings us one step closer to self-powered communication networks, where:
By integrating power delivery and data transmission into a single optical beam, networks could become energy-autonomous, reducing maintenance costs and environmental impact.
Safety was a major design factor. The laser system meets IEC 60825-1:2022 eye safety standards, operating 87× below the maximum permissible exposure limit. 👁️✅
That means these optical links can safely function in homes, factories, and public spaces — bringing high-speed connectivity without radiation risks.
| Technology | Bandwidth | Data Rate | Efficiency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silicon Solar Cell | Few MHz | 7–12 Mbps | 10–25% | Cheap, but slow |
| Organic PV Cell | 10 MHz | 42 Mbps | Low | Flexible, but inefficient |
| Unsegmented GaAs PPC | 350 MHz | 1 Gbps | ~41% | Efficient, but bandwidth-limited |
| Multi-Segment GaAs PPC (This Work) | ~1 GHz | 3.8 Gbps | Up to 39.7% | Record-setting balance of speed and efficiency |
This makes the multi-segment GaAs PPC the most promising candidate for 6G optical power/data systems.
The research opens several exciting directions for the future:
As the research team suggests, multi-segment PPCs could power “GreenCom” systems — optical links that transmit data while wirelessly charging the receiver.
This study demonstrates a powerful idea: light can be both the messenger and the energy source.
By blending photonics, semiconductor engineering, and communication technology, researchers are paving the way for:
In short, the future of communication might not just be wireless — it could be powerless, too. ⚡✨
⚡ Photonic Power Converter (PPC) - A special type of solar cell that doesn’t just make electricity from light — it can also receive and decode data from the same light beam. Think of it as a “solar-powered Wi-Fi receiver.” ☀️📶
🔋 Energy Harvesting - The process of capturing energy from natural or environmental sources (like sunlight, heat, or vibration) to power electronic devices — no plugs or batteries needed. 🌞⚙️
💡 Optical Wireless Communication (OWC) - A technology that sends data using light waves instead of radio waves. It’s like Wi-Fi but with lasers or LEDs — faster, safer, and interference-free. 🔦
🛰️ 6G - The upcoming sixth generation of wireless networks, expected to deliver ultra-fast speeds (up to 1 Tbps), ultra-low latency, and support billions of smart devices worldwide. 🌍📡 - More about this concept in the article "How 6G Will Keep Stadiums Online 🏟️ 📡 Merging Satellites and Smart Surfaces for Ultimate Connectivity".
🔄 Simultaneous Lightwave Information and Power Transfer (SLIPT) - A futuristic system where a single light beam carries both energy and information — powering a device while sending data to it at the same time. 💡➡️🔋📶
🧩 Multi-Segment Cell - A cell design that splits one big photovoltaic device into smaller parts (segments), reducing electrical delay and increasing data speed — like dividing a pizza 🍕 for faster sharing.
⚙️ Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) - A high-performance semiconductor material that converts light to electricity much faster than silicon. It’s the secret ingredient behind ultra-efficient solar and optical communication devices. 💎⚡
📶 Bandwidth - The range of frequencies a communication system can handle — higher bandwidth means more data can be transmitted per second (aka faster internet!). - More about this concept in the article "5G Meets Virtual Reality 🎮 Smoother Immersion".
📊 Data Rate (Gbps) - The speed at which information is transmitted — measured in gigabits per second. For comparison, 1 Gbps = about 125 megabytes of data per second. 💾💨
🔌 Power Conversion Efficiency (PCE) - The percentage of light energy that gets successfully converted into electrical power. Higher PCE = better performance. ⚡📈 - More about this concept in the article "Supercharging Lead-Free Solar Cells: The CsGeI₂Br Revolution 🌞💚".
🌈 Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) - A smart way to send lots of data at once by splitting it into smaller chunks over multiple frequencies — used in Wi-Fi, 5G, and now optical communication. 📡🎵 - More about this concept in the article "UAV Radar Imaging Reimagined 🚁 for Smarter Skies".
🔦 Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) - A tiny, energy-efficient laser used to send optical signals — perfect for high-speed, short-range communication like Li-Fi or optical 6G links. 🎯
Source: Othman Younus, Behnaz Majlesein, Richard Nacke, Isaac N. O. Osahon, Carmine Pellegrino, Sina Babadi, Iman Tavakkolnia, Henning Helmers, Harald Haas. Multi-Segment Photonic Power Converters for Energy Harvesting and High-Speed Optical Wireless Communication. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2510.06205
From: IEEE; LiFi Research and Development Center (LRDC); Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE.
