Ultra-Sensitive Electric Field Detection Device

Electric Field Sensor with Ultra-Sensitivity over Broad Frequency NU2010-149 Inventors Seng-Tiong Ho* Fei Yi Abstract Northwestern researchers have designed an ultra-sensitive electric field detector (E-FED) over large frequency ranges. Despite the level of difficulty in achieving high sensitivity over a broad frequency range, the investigators amplify the sensitivity to electric field strength by 150 times using two unique features. They apply a micro-antenna to the electro-optic material and also use a transparent conducting oxide (TCO) enhancement directly across the electro-optic material to conduct voltage. Furthermore, they utilize multi-pass and/or resonator structures to increase sensitivity another ten-fold and an optical-carrier-reduction scheme using an optical interference technique with matched arms. In total, the multiple factors together offer a 100,000 times increase in sensitivity compared to current EO approaches that can only detect tens of mV/mHz1/2. Applications o Optical Communications o RF Photonics o Optical Interconnect Advantages o Increased sensitivity to electric field strength o Wider bandwidth o Compact and power efficient IP Status A patent application has been filed.