This article describes the frequency response and the applications of the optical electric-field sensor consisting of a 1 mm1 mm1 mm CdTe crystal mounted on the tip of an optical fiber, which theoretically possesses the potential to cover the frequency band from below megahertz to terahertz. We utilize a capacitor, GTEM-Cell, and standard gain horn antennas for applying a free-space electric field to the optical sensor at frequencies from 20 kHz to 1 GHz, from 1 GHz to 18 GHz, and from 10 to 180 GHz, respectively. An electric-field measurement demonstrates its flat frequency response within a 6-dB range from 20 kHz to 50 GHz except for the resonance due to the piezo-electric effect at a frequency around 1 MHz. The sensitivity increases due to the resonance of the radio frequency wave propagating in the crystal at the frequencies higher than 50 GHz. These experimental results demonstrate that the optical electric-field sensor is a superior tool for the wide-band measurement which is impossible with conventional sensors such as a dipole, a loop, and a horn antenna. In transient electrostatic discharge measurements, electric-field mapping, and near-field antenna measurements, the optical electric-field sensor provide the useful information for the deterioration diagnosis and the lifetime prognosis of electric circuits and devices. These applications of the optical electric-field sensor are regarded as promising ways for sowing the seeds of evolution in electric-field measurements for antenna measurement, EMC, and EMI.

We present a new method called the slope nucleation method (SNM) for the growth of high-quality organic 4-dimethylamino-N-methyl-4-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) crystals. The SNM features the ability to control the nucleation position and the growth orientation of DAST crystals in spontaneous nucleated growth. X-ray diffraction (XRD) rocking curve measurements indicate that the SNM is effective for obtaining high-quality DAST crystals as compared to conventional spontaneous nucleation methods. We evaluated the electro-optic (EO) properties of DAST crystals by an external EO probing technique because DAST crystals are expected to be used in transverse-field probing. DAST crystals exhibits nearly five-times EO sensitivity enhancement as compared to inorganic KTiOPO4 (KTP) crystals at 90 kHz. The larger EO signal power obtained from the DAST crystal was almost constant at low frequencies (30 Hz to 90 kHz), whereas the KTP crystal could not respond below 180 Hz. We also observed excellent signals at all measured points due to the improved crystallinity of the crystal grown by the SNM.