- Lepto develops terahertz filters barely thicker than microscopic viruses for advanced communications
- Satellite companies value lighter terahertz components as launch costs remain extremely high
- Terahertz radiation enables faster data transmission over secure, short-range communication channels
A micrometer-thick sheet shimmering gold, red and green hardly looks like the next big thing in satellite communications.
This high-tech filter, produced by Empa spin-off Lepto GmbH, nevertheless represents a discreet breakthrough in terahertz radiation technology.
The company’s founders, Elena Mavrona and Erwin Hack, spent six years researching at Empa’s Transport with Nanoscale Interfaces laboratory before realizing that their invention had commercial potential.
From laboratory curiosity to market reality
“We never really planned to start a company,” says Erwin Hack, CTO of Lepto.
“But we received many requests from other research institutions, and they were very satisfied with the performance of our filters. That’s when we realized there was a market for them.”
The researchers realized that demand for the filter extends beyond university labs and government-funded science projects.
Terahertz radiation sits awkwardly between visible light and conventional radio waves, a spectral no-man’s land long ignored by engineers.
With wavelengths ranging from 0.03 to three millimeters, this band remained largely inaccessible until recent decades.
The Lepto filter, barely thicker than a virus (barely a thousandth of a millimeter), radically changes this equation.
“Our filters are very thin and we make the frames to order using 3D printing,” explains CEO Elena Mavrona.
This combination of extreme finesse and custom manufacturing allows the spin-off to produce complex filter systems that are both lightweight and remarkably efficient.
Secure satellite links and faster data transmission
Space technology represents a particularly promising market for this technology because each gram launched into orbit carries an enormous cost.
Terahertz rays provide two distinct advantages to satellites: superior materials spectroscopy for astrophysics and highly secure communications channels.
According to Hack, the higher frequency of terahertz radiation compared to conventional technologies allows for faster data transmission, while its shorter range makes interception more difficult.
“On the one hand, terahertz spectroscopy is an excellent method for studying many phenomena in astrophysics and geophysics,” notes Mavrona.
“On the other hand, terahertz is also ideal for satellite-to-satellite communication, as well as satellite-to-ground communication.”
On Earth, the same radiation faces limits, as atmospheric scattering significantly restricts its range.
Nonetheless, industry experts view terahertz waves as a foundational technology for the upcoming 6G standard, which promises higher speed and energy efficiency than current 5G networks.
Medical applications seem equally interesting because terahertz radiation only penetrates the superficial layers of tissues, without the ionizing dangers of X-rays.
Researchers are therefore developing these waves for the diagnosis of skin cancer, the examination of superficial blood vessels and the evaluation of wounds.
Airport body scanners represent another security-focused application already in development
Currently, demand for Lepto’s terahertz filters and polarizers comes almost exclusively from the research sector, including spectroscopy and experimental quantum computing projects.
The founders recognize that the transition from academic requests to commercial orders remains a significant obstacle.
“We look forward to bringing our products to market soon,” they say optimistically, although the company is actively seeking pre-seed funding.
It remains to be seen whether this technology can truly be scalable beyond specialized laboratories.
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