Broadband Electric Field Sensor With Large Dynamic Range and High Sensitivity Based on Lithium Niobate on Insulator

A broadband integrated electric field sensor is proposed and demonstrated based on Lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI). The sensor is realized by using an asymmetrical Mach-Zehnder interferometer configuration and an array of tapered dipole antennas. The fabricated sensor can achieve electric field sensing in the frequency range of 0.1 GHz to 26.5 GHz. For the electric field at 0.1 GHz, measurement is achieved in the amplitude range of 40 mV/m to 6 kV/m. The maximum measurable amplitude is calculated to be 28.6 kV/m. Hence, the theoretical dynamic range and the normalized sensitivity are 117 dB and 8.8 mV/m/Hz1/2, respectively.