VOLTAGE RESPONSIVITY OF PYROELECTRIC DETECTORS ON A HEAT-SINK SUBSTRATE

The voltage responsivity of a pyroelectric layer is reduced when the layer is connected to a substrate, as to a Si-substrate containing the readout electronics in a pyroelectric detector array. The reduction depends on the thermal properties and on the thicknesses of both the substrate and the pyroelectric layer. For the case of an efficient heat-sink substrate, there is an optimal thickness of the pyroelectric layer, for which a figure of merit is introduced. The pyroelectric performance of layers of PVDF, TGS, NaN02 and LiTa03 on Si-substrates is evaluated. © 1991, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.