THIN-FILM PYROELECTRIC ARRAY AS A DETECTOR FOR AN INFRARED GAS SPECTROMETER

We demonstrate the implementation of a thin film pyroelectric array as a detector in an infrared gas spectrometer. The 1 x 50 element array is integrated onto a silicon chip with a sol-gel deposited zirconium m odified lead titanate film (PZT) as the pyroelectrically active layer and a submicron membrane for thermal insulation. The spectrometer fitt ed with this detector covers a spectral range of 1.6 mu m and is capab le of simultaneously detecting 15 ppm of CO2 and 200 ppm CO. Limitatio ns of the present setup stem from a not optimized thermal light source and the discrete readout electronics. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.