Development of one-dimensional pyroelectric infrared array detector with high sensitivity

A one-dimensional pyroelectric array detector for use as a multielement inf rared sensor has been developed by using PbTiO3 bulk ceramics fabricated by a sheet-forming method. This one-dimensional infrared sensor consists of 1 6 elements. A pyroelectric detector responsivity of 3 x 10(4) V/W can be ob tained at a 10 Hz chopping frequency, and a specific detectivity D* of 1.2 x 10(8) cm.Hz(1/2)/W has been achieved. The time constant of this pyroelect ric detector is about 5.2 ms, so the detector has a shelter response time c ompared with a commercially available conventional pyroelectric detector. T he crosstalk, which influences the output for the adjacent elements, is les s than 10%. The output voltage for the detector gradually decreased as the atmospheric temperature increased. Pyroelectric detector responsivity incre ases with decreasing electrode size. By using this high-performance pyroele ctric array detector, the thermal sources at lower temperatures than that o f the environment can be detected with high sensitivity, as much as in the case of the thermal sources at higher temperatures.