Miniature electric field detector

An electric field detector comprising:

• a proof mass;
• a source of concentrated charge coupled to the proof mass;
• a substrate having a substrate offset space defined therein, wherein the proof mass is suspended above the substrate offset space;
• a first sense electrode disposed on the substrate within the substrate offset space and positioned proximate the proof mass, the first sense electrode being configured to measure a change in capacitance relative to the proof mass from torsional movement of the proof mass in response to a received electric field at the source of concentrated charge;
• a control circuit coupled to the first sense electrode and configured to determine a characteristic of the electric field based on the measured change in capacitance;
• and
• an auxiliary sensor coupled to the control circuit and configured to measure an external parameter, the external parameter including at least one of noise, a vibration, and an ambient temperature, the control circuit configured to adjust the characteristic of the electric field to compensate for an effect of the measured external parameter on the characteristic of the electric field, the control circuit including a preamplifier, a demodulator, and a baseband filter, the preamplifier configured to provide a carrier signal amplitude-modulated by the electric field, the demodulator configured to receive the amplitude-modulated carrier signal, the baseband filter configured to extract the characteristic of the electric field from an output of the demodulator.