Optical electric field sensor sensitivity direction rerouting and enhancement using a passive integrated dipole...

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Optical Sensing
• Electromagnetics

Background:

• Slab-coupled optical sensors typically measure electric fields transverse to the fiber axis.
• Directional sensitivity is crucial for accurate electric field measurements in various applications.
• Existing methods for detecting fields parallel to the fiber axis often require complex or intrusive setups.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a novel passive dipole antenna integrated into slab-coupled optical sensor packaging.
• To enhance the directional sensitivity of electro-optic electric field measurements, specifically for fields parallel to the fiber axis.
• To demonstrate the feasibility and performance of this integrated antenna design.

Main Methods:

• Integration of a passive dipole antenna within the packaging of a slab-coupled optical sensor.
• Utilizing electro-optic principles for electric field detection.
• Verification through both electromagnetic simulation and experimental measurements.

Main Results:

• The integrated passive dipole antenna successfully enabled sensing of electric fields parallel to the fiber axis.
• A field strength of 1.25 kV/m along the fiber direction was detected.
• A significant gain of 17.5 was achieved in detecting these parallel fields compared to the unenhanced sensor.

Conclusions:

• The passive integrated dipole antenna effectively enhances the directional sensitivity of slab-coupled optical sensors.
• This innovation expands the capability of optical sensors to measure electric fields along the fiber axis.
• The developed sensor shows promise for improved electric field monitoring applications.