Optical Electric Field Sensor Research Articles

A guided-wave optical electric field sensor with improved temperature stability

This paper reports on the study of an electric field sensor based on the Y-cut LiNbO/sub 3/ waveguide which has slight temperature dependence. The errors in the electric field measurements due to temperature variations were theoretically studied and the increase in the error with a temperature change of 100 K has been proven to be extremely low, 2.5%. As a technology to achieve high temperature stability, we adopted a new method of attaching optical fibers to a waveguide and a method of suppressing the pyroelectric effect by depositing (ITO) In/sub 2/O/sub 3/-SnO/sub 3/ films onto the Z-faces. The temperature dependence of the fabricated sensor was measured and it was found that the measurement errors in a broad temperature range from -30 to 90/spl deg/C was /spl plusmn/7% or less.

New Optical-Waveguide Pockels Sensor for Measuring Electric Fields

An optical electric field sensor using a Pockels crystal which has the advantage of directly measuring the electric field in a space with limited disturbance of its distribution has been studied. We present an optical waveguide technique which has been developed to miniaturize the sensor. In a prototype sensor a light beam is propagated along a z-direction waveguide in a y-cut LiNbO3 crystal. The width of the waveguide is 7 µ m and its length is 4.39 mm. The sensor is not based on an interferometer but on a single waveguide. The sensor has a simple and optimum configuration, and its output has good linearity to applied electric fields. Its frequency and temperature characteristics are presented. A new and smaller sensor with a waveguide 1 mm in length has been developed. It has almost the same configuration as the prototype sensor except for a smaller size. Results of measurement of ac and step electric fields using this sensor are presented.

LiNbO 3 optical waveguide electric field sensor with low temperature dependence

LiNbO 3 optical waveguide electric field sensor with low temperature dependence

Optical magnetic and electric field sensors based on surface plasmon polariton resonant coupling

Preliminary theoretical and experimental results pertinent to the development of magnetic and electric field sensors based on surface plasmon polariton resonant coupling are reported. The devices consist of multilayer structures with controlling materials that can be electro-optic, magneto-optic, or photopolymers. These devices are simple and sensitive and can find applications in both sensing and signal processing. >