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Review
. 2024 Aug 27;24(17):5532.
doi: 10.3390/s24175532.

The Status of Environmental Electric Field Detection Technologies: Progress and Perspectives

Qingsong Liu  1   2 , Zhaoqing Lan  3 , Wei Guo  3 , Jun Deng  1   2 , Xiang Peng  1   2 , Minghe Chi  4 , Shunbo Li  3
Affiliations
Review

The Status of Environmental Electric Field Detection Technologies: Progress and Perspectives

Qingsong Liu et al. Sensors (Basel). .

Abstract

The detection of electric fields in the environment has great importance for understanding various natural phenomena, environmental monitoring, and ensuring human safety. This review paper provides an overview of the current state-of-the-art technologies utilized for sensing electric fields in the environment, the challenges encountered, and the diverse applications of this sensing technology. The technology is divided into three categories according to the differences in the physical mechanism: the electro-optic effect-based measurement system, the MEMS-based sensor, and the newly reported quantum effect-based sensors. The principles of the underlying methods are comprehensively introduced, and the tentative applications for each type are discussed. Detailed comparisons of the three different techniques are identified and discussed with regard to the instrument, its sensitivity, and bandwidth. Additionally, the challenges faced in environmental electric field sensing, the potential solutions, and future development directions are addressed.

Keywords: MEMS; NV center; electric field sensor; electro-optic effect; environmental electric field; partial discharge.

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Conflict of interest statement

The company was not involved in the study design, collection, analysis, interpretation of data, the writing of this article or the decision to submit it for publication. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic diagram of the mechanism of the electro-optic effect-based electric field sensor.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The time series of the interference fringes under different external electric fields [15]. This figure is reused under a Creative Commons license.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic diagram of the working principle of a MEMS-based electric field sensor with static electrodes (a) and mobile shielding electrode (b).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The working principle of the vertically vibrating structure and sensor package [27]. This figure is reused under a Creative Commons license.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Schematic diagram of the working principle of the NV center-based electric field sensor.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Schematic illustration of AFM-based NV sensing: (b) the spin states and the corresponding energy levels under magnetic and electric fields; (c) continuous-wave ODMR (upper panel) and pulsed ODMR (lower panel) under zero electric fields; (d) pulsed ODMR spectra showing the electron spin resonance shift in f+ under different tip biases [35]. This figure is reused under a Creative Commons license.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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