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George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

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i

NASA/TM—2010–216373

Pyroelectric Materials for Uncooled Infrared 

Detectors: Processing, Properties, 

and Applications

M.D. Aggarwal, A.K. Batra, P. Guggilla, and M.E. Edwards

Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama 

B.G. Penn and J.R. Currie, Jr.

Marshall Space Flight Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Alabama 

March 2010

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Marshall Space Flight Center • MSFC, Alabama 35812
ii

Available from:

NASA Center for AeroSpace Information

7115 Standard Drive

Hanover, MD 21076 –1320

443–757–5802

This report is also available in electronic form at

<https://www2.sti.nasa.gov>

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the partial support of the present work by the U.S. Army Space and Missile 

Defense Command grant No. DASG60–03–1–0003 and National Science Foundation Historically Black Colleges and 

Universities Research Infrastructure for Science and Engineering project Nos. HRD–0531183 and HRD–0927644. 

M.D. Aggarwal would like to acknowledge support from the NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program through 

the United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation under contract No. NNG066C58A. 
iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1

2. FERROELECTRICS AND PYROELECTRICS ................................................................ 3

2.1 Pyroelectric Phenomenon ............................................................................................... 3

2.2 Performance Parameters of Pyroelectric Detectors ......................................................... 7

3. PROCESSING OF IMPORTANT PYROELECTRIC MATERIALS ................................ 10

3.1 Single Crystals ................................................................................................................ 10

3.2 Preparation of Ceramics ................................................................................................. 13

3.3 Thin-Film Deposition Techniques .................................................................................. 13

3.4 Thick-Film Fabrication .................................................................................................. 23

3.5 Fabrication of Polymer-Ceramic Composites ................................................................. 23

4. PROPERTIES AND PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS OF IMPORTANT 

PYROELECTRICS .............................................................................................................. 27

4.1 Triglycine Sulfate Crystals and Their Isomorphs ............................................................ 27

4.2 Perovskite Ferroelectrics ................................................................................................. 30

5. Unique and Innovative Techniques Demonstrated

 for Improving Performance of Pyroelectric

Infrared Sensors ....................................................................................................... 49

5.1 Multilayer Structures ...................................................................................................... 49

5.2 Compositionally Graded Structures ............................................................................... 50

5.3 Pyroelectric Heterostructures ......................................................................................... 51

5.4 Introduction of Nanoporosity ........................................................................................ 52

5.5 Other Techniques ........................................................................................................... 52

6. Applications of Pyroelectric Detectors .................................................... 54

7. Pyroelectric Detectors for NASA Applications ...................................... 55

7.1 Pyroelectric Materials for Low-Temperature Infrared Detection Space Applications ..... 55

8. Conclusions .................................................................................................................. 57

References ......................................................................................................................... 58
iv
v

LIST OF FIGURES

1. Important ferroelectric materials and selected applications. The color scheme 

 illustrates that ferroelectrics are a subclass of pyroelectrics and that pyroelectrics 

 are a subclass of piezoelectrics .................................................................................... 5

2. Schematic of a solution growth crystallizer designed and fabricated 

 at Alabama A&M University (AAMU)....................................................................... 11

3. Schematic of CZ crystal growth technique .................................................................. 12

4. Flowchart for fabrication and processing of ferroelectric ceramics ............................. 14

5. Schematic of a simple sputtering system ..................................................................... 15

6. Schematic of an experimental setup for the PLAD technique ..................................... 16

7. Schematic of CVD ...................................................................................................... 16

8. Flowchart of sol-gel processing of thin films .............................................................. 18

9. Flowchart for the MOD method ................................................................................. 21

10. Spin-coating technique processing steps ...................................................................... 24

11. Flowchart for fabrication of polymer-ceramic composite films ................................... 25

12. Photograph of a TGS crystal grown at AAMU .......................................................... 27

13. PZT ABO3 structure: (a) Unit cells and (b) schematic ................................................ 31

14. Pure and doped LN crystals grown at AAMU ............................................................ 40

15. Pyroelectric coefficients of the composite films with various volume fractions 

 of ceramic (φ) PT as a function of temperature .......................................................... 47
vi
vii

LIST OF TABLES

1. Important pyroelectric and ferroelectric materials ...................................................... 4

2. Material characteristics and FOMs of modified TGS crystals .................................... 29

3. Physical properties and FOMs of various pyroelectric PZT-type bulk materials ......... 33

4. Material characteristics and FOMs of perovskite films ............................................... 37

5. Material characteristics and FOMs of modified LN crystals ...................................... 39

6. Physical properties and FOMs of BST samples .......................................................... 41

7. Physical properties and FOMs of BST thin-film samples ............................................ 41

8. Physical properties and FOMs of SBN crystals .......................................................... 43

9. FOMs of SBN samples at 40 °C ................................................................................. 43

10. Physical properties and FOMs of textured SBN ferroelectric ceramics ....................... 43

11. Physical properties and FOMs of PMN-PT samples .................................................. 44

12. Material characteristics and FOMs of P(VDF-TrFE) ................................................. 45
viii
ix

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND SYMBOLS

AAMU Alabama A&M University

ABO3 oxygen octahedral ferroelectric

ac alternating current

ADTGSP alanine-doped deuterated triglycine phosphate-sulfate

AES auger electron spectrometry

AFM atomic force microscopy

AIN aluminum nitride

As arsenic

ATGS alanine-doped triglycine sulfate

ATGSP/As alanine-doped triglycine sulfate-phosphate/arsenate

Au gold

B boron

Ba barium

BaTiO3 barium titanate

BITO bismuth titanate

Bi bismuth

BLT bismuth lanthanum titanate

BNN barium sodium niobate

BSN barium strontium niobate

BST barium strontium titanate

BTO barium titanate

Ca calcium

CaTiO3 calcium titanate

CCD charge-coupled device

Cd cadmium

CdTGS cadmium-doped triglycine sulfate

Cl chlorine

CO2 carbon dioxide

Cr chromium

CrLATGS chromium L-alanine-doped triglycine sulfate

Cs cesium

CsLATGS cesium L-alanine-doped triglycine sulfate
x

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND SYMBOLS (Continued)

CST	 calcium strontium titanate

Cu	 copper

CuTGS	 copper-doped triglycine sulfate

CVD	 chemical vapor deposition

CZ	 Czochralski

D2O	 deuterium oxide

dc	 direct current

dc-UBMS	 direct current-unbalanced magnetron sputtering

DLATGS	 L-alanine-doped deuterated triglycine sulfate

DRAM	 dynamic random access memory

DTA	 differential thermal analysis

DTGFB	 deuteration of triglycine fluoroberyllate

DTGPS	 deuterated triglycine phosphate-sulfate

DTGS	 deuterated triglycine sulfate

ECR	 electron cyclotron resonance

EO	 electrooptical

Er	 erbium

Eu	 europium

Fe	 iron

FOM	 figure of merit

FRAM	 ferroelectric random access memory

g-c	 glass-ceramic

Ga	 gallium

GaN	 gallium nitride

GFD	 graded ferroelectric device

GMO	 gadolinium molybdate

H2O	 water

Hg	 mercury

IC	 integrated circuit

In	 indium

IR	 infrared

ITO	 indium tin oxide

K	 potassium
xi

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND SYMBOLS (Continued)

KDA potassium dihydrogen arsenate

KDP potassium dihydrogen phosphate

KLN potassium lithium niobate

KN potassium niobate

KNN potassium sodium niobate

KT potassium titanate

KTN potassium tantalate niobate

KTP potassium titanyl phosphate

La lanthanum

LAO lithium aluminum oxide

LATGS L-alanine-doped triglycine sulfate

LGO lead germanium oxide

Li lithium

LiTGS lithium-doped triglycine sulfate

LN lithium niobate

Ln lanthanoid

LSBN lanthanum-doped strontium barium niobate

LT lithium tantalate

M morphotropic

MCT mercury cadmium telluride

MEK methyl-ethyl-ketone

MFS-FET metal-ferroelectric-semiconductor-field effect transistor

Mg magnesium

ML multilayer

Mn manganese

MnTGS manganese-doped triglycine sulfate

MOCVD metallo-organic chemical vapor deposition

MOD metallo-organic deposition

MSPZT manganese- and antimony-doped lead zirconium titanate

Na sodium

NAFP NASA Administrator’s Fellowship Program

Nb niobium

NBT sodium bismuth titanate
xii

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND SYMBOLS (Continued)

Nd:YAG neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet

NEP noise equivalent power

Ni nickel

NiLATGS nickel L-alanine-doped triglycine sulfate

NLO nonlinear optical

O oxygen

P polarization

P(VDF-TrFE) polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene

Pb lead

PbO lead oxide

Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 lead zirconate titanate

PCLT calcium (11%)-modified lead titanate

PCT lead calcium titanate

PECVD plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

PErT erbium-doped lead titanate

PET porous silicon and plastic

PETM lead europium titanate manganate

PIR pyroelectric infrared 

PLAD pulse laser ablation deposition

PLTM lead lanthanum titanate manganate

PLT lead lanthanum titanate 

PLZT lead lanthanum zirconate titanate

PMN-PT lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate

PMZT manganese-doped lead zirconate titanate

PPR photoplaner-radiometer

PMN-PZT lead magnesium niobate-lead zirconate titanate

PMNZTU uranium-doped lead magnesium niobate-lead zirconate titanate

PST lead scandium titanate

PSTM lead samarium titanate manganate

PT lead titanate

Pt platinum

PTB pyroelectric thermistor bolometer

PTCR positive temperature coefficient resistance

PU polyurathane
xiii

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND SYMBOLS (Continued)

PVDF poly(vinylidene fluoride)

PVF polyvinyl fluoride

PZ lead zirconate

PZFNT lead zirconate iron niobate titanate

PZT lead zirconate titanate

RDA rubidium dihydrogen phosphate

RF radio frequency

RIE reactive ion etching

rms root mean square

RTA rapid thermal annealing

Ru ruthenium

RuO2 ruthenium oxide

SAW surface acoustic wave

Sb antimony

SBN strontium barium niobate

SbSI antimony sulphoiodide

SBST silicon dioxide-doped barium stontium titanate

Si silicon

Sm samarium

Sn tin

Sr strontium

STN sodium tantalate niobate

Ta tantalum

TCD temperature coefficient of dielectric constant

Te tellurium

TGFB triglycine fluoroberyllate

TGS triglycine sulfate

TGSe triglycine selenate

Ti titanium

TiO2 titanium dioxide

TM Technical Memorandum

TrFE trifluoroethylene

U uranium

UFPA uncooled infrared focal plane array
xiv

LIST OF ACRONYMS AND SYMBOLS (Continued)

VDF vinylidene fluoride

VDF-TrFE vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene

W tungsten

XRD x-ray diffraction

Y yttrium

YBCO yttrium barium copper oxide

YSZ yttria-stabilized zirconia

Zn zinc

ZnO zinc oxide

ZnTGS zinc-doped triglycine sulfate

Zr zirconium

ZrO2 zirconium dioxide
xv

Nomenclature

A	 area

C elastic stiffness

CV volume specific heat

c	 elastic stiffness

c′ specific heat

D* detectivity

D electric displacement

d piezoelectric coefficient

dE	 change of electric field

dE/dT	 change in the electric field with respect to the change in temperature

dP change in polarization

dP/dE	 change in polarization with respect to the change in the electric field

dT temperature variation

dT/dt rate of change of temperature

E electric field

e strain

FD figure of merit for high detectivity

FD* figure of merit of detectivity

FI figure of merit for high current responsivity

Fi figure of merit for high current responsivity without volume specific heat

FV figure of merit for high-voltage responsivity

Ip pyroelectric current

Hrms root mean square value of the fundamental component of the irradiance

k thermal conductivity

P	 polarization

Pr remnant polarization

Ps	 switchable polarization

p pyroelectric coefficient

pp primary pyroelectric coefficient

ps secondary pyroelectric coefficient

R responsivity

RI current responsivity
xvi

Nomenclature (Continued)

RV voltage responsivity

T temperature

Tc Curie temperature

t	 thickness of film

tan d dielectric loss

Vn root mean square noise value

Vs detector root mean square output signal

α thermal expansion

Δf noise bandwidth

ε permittivity

ε′ real part of dielectric constant

ε′′ imaginary part of dielectric constant

φl incident radiant power

σ stress

tE electrical time constant

tT thermal time constant
1

Technical memorandum

Pyroelectric Materials for Uncooled Infrared Detectors: 

Processing, Properties, and Applications

1. Introduction

Outside the visible spectrum, at its red end, exists the infrared (IR) region with wavelengths 

longer than visible light. The IR region of electromagnetic radiation spans photon wavelengths 

from 0.7 to 1,000 μm. The origins of IR photons are gases, liquids, and solids that make up the 

universe. These IR sources can both absorb and emit IR radiation. The dependence of radiation 

absorption and emission spectra on wavelength identifies and provides detailed information about 

the materials in our universe. Infrared detectors bring this valuable information within the purview 

of human observation through their use in a wide variety of optical characterization instruments, 

planetary exploration, space and astrophysics, atmosphere radiation measurements, and numerous 

commercial military applications such as occupancy and motion detection in security systems, 

military surveillance, manufacturing processes, gas sensing, industrial and medical thermal 

imaging, etc. 

Uncooled pyroelectric IR (PIR) imaging systems, such as night vision goggles, offer important strategic advantages in battlefield scenarios and reconnaissance surveys. They include commercial applications such as fire rescue equipment, medical imaging, security surveillance systems, and 

imaging systems for cars, ships, and aircraft. In recent years, requirements in the field of IR sensors 

have turned increasingly towards technologies with the potential to deliver lightweight, compact, 

low-power, and low-cost IR detectors and imaging heads using thin- or thick-film elements integrated with silicon (Si) technology. It means that they are required both in peace and war.

Infrared radiation sensors can be generally classified into two classes: (1) Photon detectors 

in which the radiation absorption process directly produces a measurable effect (e.g., generation of 

photoelectrons or charge carrier pairs in a photoconductor) and (2) thermal detectors that are also 

considered as indirect optical detectors, as they first convert the absorbed incident radiation into 

heat, which then produces a measurable effect. Pyroelectric, along with bolometer, Golay cells, 

and thermopiles, belong to the latter class.

While photon detectors such as mercury (Hg) cadmium (Cd) telluride (MCT) have their 

highest responsivity (R) in the 8- to 14-μm region, their spectral range is very narrow (i.e., they are 

spectral selective). In addition, cryogenic cooling is often required to provide optimum operation, 

which adds significantly to the cost and complexity of these detectors. On the other hand, thermal 

detectors are of considerable interest due to the fact they can deliver relatively high performance 

at low cost when operated at room temperature. PIR detectors fall in the category of thermal 

detectors.
2

PIR sensing devices have the following five main advantages over photon IR sensors:

(1) Sensitivity in a very large spectral bandwidth limited only by the ability of the sensor 

to absorb the incident radiation.

(2) Sensitive in a very wide temperature range without the need of cooling.

(3) Low power requirements.

(4) Relatively fast response.

(5) Generally low-cost materials.

Furthermore, it is worthy to mention that uncooled PIR imaging systems, such as night 

vision goggles, offer important strategic advantages in battlefield scenarios and reconnaissance 

surveys due to their lightweight.

In this Technical Memorandum (TM), an overview is presented of pyroelectricity and its 

application in PIR detectors along with the physics of pyroelectric single-element sensors and how 

they are integrated with Si-substrate sensors, measurement of physical parameters, and pyroelectric 

materials (both bulk and films); this includes their growth, properties, and selection. An account is 

given of their wide range of applications.
3

2. Ferroelectrics and Pyroelectrics

All crystals can be categorized into 32 different classes. These classes are point groups 

divided by using the following symmetry elements: (1) Center of symmetry, (2) axes of rotation, 

(3) mirror planes, and (4) several combinations of them. The 32 point groups are subdivisions of 

7 basic crystal systems that are, in order of ascending symmetry, triclinic, monoclinic, orthorhombic, tetragonal, rhombohedral (trigonal), hexagonal, and cubic. Of the 21 classes of the 32 point 

groups that are noncentrosymmetric, which is a necessary condition for piezoelectricity to exist, 

20 of them are piezoelectric. Of the 20 piezoelectric crystal classes, 10 crystals have pyroelectric 

properties. Within a given temperature range, this group of materials is permanently polarized. 

Compared to the general piezoelectric polarization produced under stress, the pyroelectric polarization is developed spontaneously and kept as permanent dipoles in the structure. Because this 

polarization varies with temperature, the response is termed as pyroelectricity. 

The ferroelectric group is a subgroup of the spontaneously polarized pyroelectric crystals. 

On one hand, the polarization of ferroelectric is similar to the polarization of pyroelectric. On the 

other hand, there is a difference between the two polarizations because the ferroelectric polarization is reversible by an external applied electric field, provided that the applied field is less than 

the dielectric breakdown of the materials. Therefore, materials that can be defined as ferroelectrics 

must have two characteristics: (1) The presence of spontaneous polarization and (2) reversibility 

of the polarization under an electric field. A ferroelectric material is therefore pyroelectric, piezoelectric, and noncentrosymmetric.

Table 1 lists the important ferroelectric/pyroelectric materials being investigated and/or are 

being used in the various devices.1–5 Figure 1 shows some important ferroelectric materials and 

their uses in various devices based on their unique piezoelectric, pyroelectric, ferroelectric, electrooptic, acoustooptic, and dielectric properties. The most commonly used materials for pyroelectric 

applications include triglycine sulfate (TGS); lead (Pb) zirconate titanate, PbZrTiO3 (PZT); Pb 

titanate, PbTiO3 (PT); poly (vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF); and lithium (Li) tantalate, LiTaO3 (LT).

2.1 Pyroelectric Phenomenon 

Since time immemorial, people in India and Ceylon—where tourmaline crystals were easily found—had observed that such crystals, when thrown into ashes, would strongly attract surrounding ash particles after a few moments, only to repel them again a little later. Dutch merchants 

brought this knowledge, together with the first tourmaline crystal, to Europe around 1703, where 

tourmaline was often called “Ceylon magnet.” Carl Linnaeus gave it the scientific name “Lapis 

Electricus” in 1747. Aepinus proved the electrical nature of this phenomenon in 1756 when he 

noted the opposite polarities at two ends of a heated tourmaline crystal. Brewster named this effect 

“pyroelectricity” (from Greek “pyro,” which means fire) in 1824.7
4

Table 1. Important pyroelectric and ferroelectric materials.

Ferroelectric Family Ferroelectric Material Chemical Formula Abbreviation

Perovskite type Barium (Ba) titanate BaTiO3 BTO

Potassium (K) niobate KNbO3 KN

K titanate KTiO3 KT

K tantalate-niobate KTa1–x

NbxO3 KTN

Pb zirconate titanate PbZrxTi1–x

O3 PZT

Pb scandium titanate PbScx

Ti1–xO3 PST

Ba strontium (Sr) titanate Bax

Sr1–xTiO3 BST

Li niobate family Li niobate LiNbO3 LN

Li tantalate LiTaO3 LT

Tungsten-bronze type Ba Sr niobate Ba5x

Sr5(1–x)Nb10O30 BSN

Ba sodium niobate Ba5x

Na5(1–x)Nb10O30 BNN

K Li niobate K5Li2Nb5O15 KLN

KDP family K dihydrogen phosphate KH2PO4 KDP

K dihydrogen arsenate KH2AsO4 KDA

Rubidium dihydrogen phosphate RbH2PO4 RDP

TGS type Triglycine sulfate (NH2CH2COOH)3•H2SO4 TGS

Triglycine selenate (NH2CH2COOH)3•H2SeO4 TGSe

KTP family K titanyl phosphate KTiOPO4 KTP

Bismuth titanate Bismuth titanate Bi4Ti3O12 BITO

Rare earth molybdate Gadolinium molybdate β-Gd2(MoO)3 GMO

Pb germanium oxide Pb germanium oxide 5PbO•3GeO2 or Pb5Ge3O11 LGO

Antimony sulphoiodide Antimony sulphoiodide SbSI SbSI

Polymer Poly (vinylidene fluoride) – PVDF

Poly (vinylidene fluoridetrifluoroethylene)– P(VDF-TrFE)

Pyroelectric detectors are thermal detectors and use the pyroelectric effect to detect incident 

IR radiation. The pyroelectric effect or pyroelectricity refers to the change of internal polarization 

of a material due to small changes in temperature.

Pyroelectric materials are dielectric materials and possess a spontaneous electrical polarization that appears in the absence of an applied electrical field or stress. Since pyroelectricity is the 

electrical response of a polar material as a result of a change of temperature, the pyroelectric effect 

at constant electric field (E) and stress (σ) are defined as follows:8

∂D

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,σ

= ∂D

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,e

+

∂D

∂e

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,T

∂e

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,σ

, (1)
5

DRAM, FRAM

(Bi4Ti3O12, SrTiO3, BST, BZT)

Ferroelectric

MFS-FET

(PbTiO3, PZT)

Sensors (Pressure, Acceleration), 

Actuators, Filters, Vibrators, SAW elements, 

Transformers, Motors, Transducers, 

(LiTaO3, LiNbO3, PZT, PLZT, SBN)

Ceramic Capacitors

(BaTiO3, PZT, ...)

Elements of Optical Memory

(MiLiNbO3, CeSBN, Bi4Ti3O12)

Spatial Modulators

(GMO, Pb5Ge3O11)

Wave Guides

(LiNbO3, LiTaO3)

NLO Devices

(BaTiO3, LiNbO3, KD*P KDP, 

KNbO3, ADP, RDP, RDA, 

Pb5Ge3O11, BNN, KTP, 

SBN, LiTaO3)

Optical Modulators, EO Switches

(LiNbO3, KDP, ADP, RDA, KDA, KNbO3, 

SBN, LiTaO3, KTP, PZT, BaTiO3)

Infrared Sensors, Vidicons,

(TGS, DTGS, LiTaO3, PVF2, PZT, 

PbTiO3, LiNbO3, Pb5Ge3O11, SBN)

Dielectric

Piezoelectric

Pyroelectric

Ferroelectric

Ferroelectric

Memories

Electromechanical

Devices

High-Permittivity

Dielectrics

Acoustooptic

Devices

PTCR

Devices

NLO

Devices

Electrooptic

Devices

Pyroelectric

Devices

Piezoelectric

Devices

Figure 1. Important ferroelectric materials and selected applications. The color scheme illustrates 

that ferroelectrics are a subclass of pyroelectrics and that pyroelectrics are a subclass 

of piezoelectrics.6

where D is the electric displacement, e is the strain, and T is the temperature of the pyroelectric 

material. The first term on the right side of the equation is called the primary pyroelectric response 

or effect. This effect is due to charge produced owing to a change in the polarization with temperature when dimensions of pyroelectric materials are kept constant. If dimensions change with 

temperature for materials under constant stress, an additional charge is produced due to the piezoelectric effect. This phenomenon leads to the secondary pyroelectric effect. The second term on the 

right side of equation (1) represents the secondary pyroelectric effect. 

For ferroelectrics, D is related as,

D=P+ds , (2)

where P is the polarization (which is switchable and abbreviated as Ps) and d is the piezoelectric 

coefficient of the ferroelectric materials. Polarization is defined as

P=Ps +εE , (3)
6

where ε is the permittivity and E is the electric field of the ferroelectric materials. From equations 

(1) and (2), one can derive,

p = ∂D

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,σ

= ∂Ps

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,σ

+ E ∂ε

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,σ

, (4)

where the first term on the right side of equation (4) is the primary pyroelectric coefficient (pp) at 

zero applied field and below the Curie temperature (Tc) of the material. The Tc is the temperature 

at which a material changes from the ferroelectric (polar) phase to the paraelectric (nonpolar) 

phase. The second term on the right side of equation (4) is significant near Tc, where the change of 

dielectric ε due to temperature is quite large. From equation (4), if E=0, or ε of the material does 

not change with temperature, then the pp is the change of spontaneous polarization with temperature, provided the dimensions of the material do not change (first term). One can write,

pp = ∂Ps

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,σ

. (5)

The secondary pyroelectric coefficient (ps

)is described as,

ps = ∂D

∂e

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,T

∂e

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,σ

= ∂D

∂σ

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,T

∂σ

∂e

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,T

∂e

∂T

⎛

⎝

⎜ ⎞

⎠

⎟

E,σ

= dcα , (6)

where c is the elastic stiffness and α is the thermal expansion coefficient of the material. Contribution to ps is induced by thermal deformation and piezoelectricity. 

It is worthwhile to explain that the two modes of operation for a pyroelectric detector are 

“pyroelectric” and “dielectric” (bolometer). The pyroelectric mode of operation is in the pyroelectric or ferroelectric state of the material (i.e., below the Tc of the material). The dielectric mode 

becomes operative through the application of a biasing field near Tc. It can also be operated in 

both ferroelectric and paraelectric phases of the material but near the Tc. In the pyroelectric mode, 

large changes in the spontaneous polarization with temperature near ferroelectric phase transitions 

lead to large p; thus, the detector sensitivity increases. In the dielectric bolometer mode, a larger p

can be achieved for operation with an electric field and low losses, which are typically realized by 

the application of an electric field that impedes domain boundary motion. The optimum bolometer 

detector response is a function of the applied electric field and temperature. However, additional 

equipment is required to control the temperature near Tc.

A pyroelectric detector is basically a capacitor whose spontaneous polarization vector is 

oriented normal to the plane of the electrodes. Incident radiation absorbed by the pyroelectric 

material is converted into heat. This results in a temperature variation (dT) and varying of the 

magnitude of the spontaneous polarization. Changes in polarization alter the surface charge of the 

electrodes, and charges are expelled from the surface to keep neutrality, which results in a pyroelectric current (Ip) in the external circuit.
7

The Ip depends on the temperature change with time. Therefore, pyroelectric devices are 

considered to be alternating current (ac) coupled devices. Pyroelectric current is proportional to 

the area (A) and rate of change of temperature (dT/dt) of the detecting element. One can write,

I p = p ⋅A dT

dt (7)

and

p = I p

1

A ⋅ dT dt

⎛

⎝

⎜

⎞

⎠

⎟ ,	 (8)

where p is the pyroelectric coefficient. 

2.2 Performance Parameters of Pyroelectric Detectors

The performance of pyroelectric detectors is generally determined in terms of the parameters described in sections 2.2.1–2.2.3.

2.2.1 Responsivity

Responsivity is the detector root mean square (rms) signal per unit incident power. 

It is expressed as

R = Vs

φλ

, (9)

where Vs is the detector rms output signal and fl is the incident radiant standard power.

Responsivity is expressed as amps/watt if the detector output signal is measured as current 

and it is a function of wavelength, operating frequency, operating temperature, bias voltage, and 

input circuit parameters.

2.2.2 Noise Equivalent Power

Noise equivalent power (NEP) is defined as the amount of required radiant power incident 

on the active area that will yield a signal-to-noise ratio of 1:1 by

NEP = HrmsAVn

Vs

, (10)

where Hrms is the rms value of the fundamental component of the irradiance, A is the detector 

area, Vn is the rms noise value, and Vs

 is the rms signal value. NEP is a function of source, operating frequency, area of detector, and noise bandwidth (Δf) (in hertz).
8

2.2.3 Detectivity

Detectivity (D*) is the figure of merit (FOM) that is normalized with respect to the detector 

A and the Δf such that

D*= 1

NEP

AΔf . (11)

From the definition of NEP,

D*= (Vs /Vn)

W

AΔf , (12)

where W is the radiant power incident on the detector’s active area.

From the expression above for D* and R, it is seen that, when Hrms (in watts/square centimeters) is selected so that W equals the product (HrmsA), the expression reduces to,

D*= R

Vn

(AΔf ) . (13)

The important properties to look at in order to assess the material performance of IR sensors are low ε′ and loss, high p, and low volume specific heat (c′). However, important material 

FOMs are as follows:1

• FOM for high current responsivity (RI),

FI=p/c′ ,	 (14)

• FOM for high voltage responsivity (RV),

FV=p/c′ε′ ,	 (15)

and

• FOM for high D*,

FD =p/c′(ε′′)1/2 ,	 (16)

where p is the pyroelectric coefficient, c′ is the volume specific heat of the element, ε′ is the real part 

of dielectric constant, and ε′′ is the imaginary part of the dielectric constant (dielectric loss).

Bauer et al.9 have developed the following FOMs for when the pyroelectric element is placed 

on a substrate that is acting as a heat sink (i.e., whose thermal conductivity is infinite),
9

• FOM for high current RI,

FI=p/k ,	 (17)

• FOM for high RV,

FV=p/kε′ ,	 (18)

and

• FOM for high D*,

FD =p/k(ε′′)1/2 ,	 (19)

where k is the thermal conductivity of the pyroelectric element. 
10

3. Processing of Important Pyroelectric Materials

3.1 Single Crystals

The growth of single crystals, although simple in principle, requires meticulous attention 

to details. Knowledge of the phase diagram of the constituents of the crystals and any solvent 

involved is essential. The mechanical and electrical equipment involved must be such to ensure 

uniformity of conditions over the extended period needed to grow a single crystal of any size; 

furthermore, the apparatus must avoid excessive vibrations and thermal disturbances.

3.1.1 Growth of Crystals From Solution

Highly homogeneous crystals can be grown by the slow cooling of saturated solutions 

of salt or, sometimes, by slow evaporation of a solution at constant temperature. 

The growth of crystals from solution from low-temperature solutions occupies a prominent 

place, especially when materials are not stable at elevated temperatures. A number of concepts for 

solution crystal growth systems are found in the literature.1 One of the best concepts for growth of 

both inorganic and organic crystals from solution is by temperature lowering of a solution, provided the material has a positive temperature coefficient of solubility.

Using this method in a proper solvent, a saturated solution of the material to be grown 

is prepared at a chosen temperature and kept at this temperature for 24 hr. Then, the seed-holding 

rod is inserted in the growth chamber and its rotation is initiated. The growth process is initiated by 

lowering the temperature slowly. The temperature of the solution is lowered at a preprogrammed 

rate, typically 0.05–2 °C per day, depending on the solubility of the chosen material. The complete 

crystallization process may take a week to several weeks. To terminate the growth process, the 

grown crystals are taken out of the solution without thermal shock. The necessary conditions for 

the solution growth technique are the availability of a proper solvent for the pyroelectric material 

and that the material has a positive temperature coefficient of solubility. 

The pyroelectric large crystals of TGS and K dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) type have 

been successfully grown by this method. Single crystals of TGS usually have been grown from an 

aqueous solution by the temperature-lowering or solvent evaporation method. The authors have 

successfully grown the large TGS crystals using the crystallizer illustrated and described in detail 

elsewhere.10 The authors’ design of a typical crystallizer illustrating all the major components is 

shown in figure 2.

Brezina et al.11 designed a crystallizer for growing L-alanine-doped deuterated TGS 

(DTGS) crystals by isothermal evaporation of deuterium oxide (D2O). Satapathy et al.12 have 

described a novel technique for mounting the TGS seeds and a crystallizer. Banan13 has also 

described a crystallizer and a seed holder for growing pure and doped TGS crystals. TGS crystals 

weighing more than 100 g have been grown from solution with ethyl alcohol additions.14 When
11

Motor

Si Oil Layer

Magnetic Stirrer

Heater

Water

Thermocouple

Growing Crystals

Solution

Eurotherm 818

Temperature

Controller

Reciprocating

Motor Controller

Figure 2. Schematic of a solution growth crystallizer designed 

and fabricated at Alabama A&M University (AAMU).

alcohol is mixed in an aqueous solution of TGS, a part of the water in the solution associates with 

alcohol, which concentrates the solution. Thus, the supersaturation can be controlled to a certain 

degree, making it easier to grow TGS crystals. 

To achieve success in growing crystals from aqueous solutions, it is important to prepare 

a solution with a well-determined saturation temperature, solubility profile, and absence of any 

foreign particles.

3.1.2 Crystal Growth From Melt

A basic diagram of the Czochralski (CZ) method with various components to explain 

the process is illustrated in figure 3.15 The material should have a relatively low vapor pressure 

to be considered as a possible candidate for crystal growth by the CZ technique. The crucible 

material should be nonreactive with the crystal growth material above its melting point. 
12

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Pull

Seed Holding Rod

Quartz Support Tube

Induction Heating Coil

PT Crucible and Lid

ZrO2 Base Plate

Crystal

ZrO2 Tubing

Melt

Fused Silica Tube

Granular ZrO2

Rotation

Figure 3. Schematic of the CZ crystal growth technique.15

The CZ system is based on the following principle. The material is melted in a crucible and 

is kept for a certain time at a temperature above the melting point. The temperature is then reduced 

to a value slightly above the freezing point. The freezing point is judged by cooling the melt until 

crystals start to appear on the surface; then, the temperature is slightly lowered and a seed (cut in 

the appropriate orientation) is inserted into the melt. It is kept at that position for ≈10 min. Then 

the pulling mechanism of the seed is started. The seed forms the crystallization center if the temperatures have been chosen correctly. 

If the crystal starts growing very fast and becomes visible to the naked eye, the temperature 

of the melt needs to be increased by a degree or so. The melt must not be overheated because that 

would cause the crystal to dissolve and separate from the melt. Manipulating the temperature of 

the melt and the pulling rate controls the diameter of the pulled crystal. Suitable engineering of 

both axial and radial temperature gradients is needed to reliably grow single crystals of desired 

dimensions.
13

Pyroelectric single crystals of Li titanate, Li niobate (LN), K tantalate niobate (KTN), and 

others have been successfully grown by the CZ method.16

3.2 Preparation of Ceramics

Ceramic oxide compositions can generally be produced by thoroughly mixing the constituents as oxides or compounds, such as carbonates and nitrates, that readily decompose to oxides 

and where the calcination of the mixture is at a temperature that gives substantial interdiffusion of 

the cations. The calcine is then finely ground and compressed into the desired shape, which is then 

sintered at a temperature normally a few hundred degrees above the calcination temperature.17

For example, for the calcination of PZT, the starting raw materials Pb oxide (PbO), titanium (Ti) dioxide (TiO2), and zirconium (Zr) dioxide (ZrO2) are mixed in the molar ratio of 2:1:1, 

pressed into lumps, and then calcined in ambient air at 800 °C to obtain the perovskite phase. 

The calcining temperature is of great value as it influences the density and hence the electromechanical and other properties of the final product. However, calcining PZT at T>800 °C could lead 

to Pb loss, resulting in a detrimental effect on the electrical properties. Therefore, calcination at the 

appropriate temperature is necessary to obtain the best electrical and mechanical properties. 

After calcining, the lumps are ground by milling. The green bodies should have a certain 

minimum density before they can be sintered. The desired shape and a minimum green density can 

be provided by various techniques including powder compaction, slip casting, and extrusion. The 

choice of the method depends on the type of powder used, particle size distribution, and state of 

agglomeration, desired shape, and thickness of the part. After shaping, the green bodies are heated 

slowly to between 500 and 600 °C in order to remove any binder that is present. The binder amount 

burnout rate should be ≤1–2 °C/min in order to allow the gasses to come out slowly without forming cracks and blisters in the ceramic parts. 

After the binder burnout is over, the samples are taken to a higher temperature for sintering 

to take place. The sintering temperature and time should be optimum for proper densification to 

occur without abnormal grain growth. The sintering of oxide ceramics must be carried out in an 

oxidizing atmosphere or in air. For Pb containing ceramics such as PZT, PT, Pb lanthanum (La) 

zirconate titanate (PLZT), etc., Pb loss occurs at temperatures above 800 °C. In order to reduce the 

Pb loss during sintering, the samples are kept in a sealed crucible containing saturated vapor. Figure 4 shows the flowchart of fabrication of ceramics and sample preparation for characterization.

3.3 Thin-Film Deposition Techniques

Fabrication of ferroelectric thin films has been of interest for some time. It originally started 

with simple thermal evaporation of barium (Ba) titanate (BaTiO3) (BTO) by Feldman in 1956.18

A number of deposition techniques have been developed since then. The various techniques can 

be simply classified into the two categories of solution deposition and nonsolution deposition. 

In the following sections, different techniques for the fabrication of PZT films are briefly reviewed. 
14

Weighing

Raw

Material

Ball Milling Calcinations

PostCalcination

Ball Milling

Spray

Drying

Powder

Powder

Pressing

to Disks

Sintering

Lapping and

Grinding

Ultrasonic

Cleaning

Silver

Electroding Poling

Figure 4. Flowchart for fabrication and processing of ferroelectric ceramics.

3.3.1 Nonsolution Deposition Techniques

3.3.1.1 Sputtering Technique. The sputtering methods (i.e., direct current (dc), radio frequency (RF) magnetron, electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) magnetron, and ion beam) have 

been the most widely used techniques to fabricate ferroelectric thin films because of their convenience and the high melting point of the PZT materials.19 During the sputtering process, the 

material to be sputtered is made the sputtering target, which serves as the cathode in the electric 

circuit. The substrates to be coated are placed on a grounded anode a certain distance away. The 

target might consist of a series of individual elements aligned on a rotatable stage or a ceramic 

target that contains the required compositions. During the sputtering process, compositional ions 

are knocked from the surface of the target and deposited on the substrates. Both cold and hot 

stages are used in the PZT film preparation. The major problem associated with the sputtering 

process is stoichiometric control because the sputter rate of each element is different. The basic 

concept of a sputtering principle is illustrated in figure 5.
15

Wafers

Gas Inlet

Target

Substrate

Vacuum

Pump

Power Supply

Figure 5. Schematic of a simple sputtering system.

3.3.1.2 Laser Ablation Technique. Pulse laser ablation deposition (PLAD) has been found 

to be a promising method for producing ferroelectric films because of its high depositing rate and 

stoichiometric control. It can be used to produce stoichiometric films even from a target material 

composed of five elements. The studies of PZT thin films have shown that the compositional uniformity of the fluence and the target-substrate distance are the two major factors that affect PZT 

thin-film quality. The higher the fluence the higher the deposition rate, but larger particles emitted 

from the target impair the quality of the films. To date, particulate-free PZT films have not been 

achieved by the PLAD technique.20 A basic apparatus used for fabricating thin films by PLAD 

is illustrated in figure 6.

3.3.1.3 Chemical Vapor Deposition Technique. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) involves 

the transportation of volatile compounds by carrier gas to the reaction chamber where they are 

exposed to the substrates. Chemical reactions take place at or near the substrate surface, resulting 

in a solid phase that condenses on the substrates. The CVD process can be significantly improved 

by making use of energy sources such as a laser beam, an electron beam, and an ion beam. The 

plasma formed by a focused energy source accelerates the decomposition of gases and improves 

the quality of the films. This type of technique is called plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD). The 

PECVD technique is able to provide good quality PZT films at low processing temperatures.21

A schematic of a CVD apparatus is shown in figure 7.
16

Nd:YAG Laser

Pulse Generator

Power Supply

Heater

Target

Plume

Substrate

Deposition Chamber

CCD Camera

Optical Emission

Spectrum Detector

Figure 6. Schematic of an experimental setup for the PLAD technique.

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Wafer

Substrate

Energy Heat,

Plasma, etc.

Source Gases Gaseous Products

Reaction Chamber

Figure. 7. Schematic of CVD.
17

If metallo-organic compounds are used as volatile reactants, the CVD process is called the 

metallo-organic CVD (MOCVD) technique. Recently, interest in using the MOCVD method to 

fabricate PZT films has increased because of its usefulness, high potential, and recent development of new source materials. The advantages of MOCVD processes include composition and 

crystalline structural control, high growth rate, and especially good step coverage.22 By using the 

MOCVD technique, it has been shown that uniform PZT and PLZT thin films with variation in 

the film thickness is less than ±1.5% on a 6- to 8-in Si wafer, and both variations in Pb/(Zr+Ti) 

and Zr/(Zr+Ti) are below 5%.23 Auger electron spectrometry (AES) depth profiling indicated 

a uniform composition through the thickness of the PZT films.24

3.3.2 Solution Deposition Technique

A solution deposition technique enables excellent stoichiometric control of complex mixed 

oxide systems and is a fast, cost-efficient method to prepare oxide thin films. The most used solution techniques are the sol-gel and metallo-organic deposition (MOD) methods. In the solution 

deposition for PZT films, metallo-organic starting reagents such as alkoxide M(OR)n (where M 

is a metal element and R is an alkyl group), carboxylate (M(OOCR)n), and β-biketonate 

(MOx(CH3COCHCOCH3)

n) compounds of Pb, Zr, and Ti are widely used as precursor 

compounds.25–27

3.3.2.1 Sol-Gel Technique. Sol-gel technology is one of the most popular methods for PZT 

thin deposition because it offers advantages such as high chemical purity, good stoichiometric control, low temperature processing, simple techniques for thin-film deposition, and microstructure 

control via chemical reactions. The basic steps in sol-gel processing involve the synthesis of a gelprecursor solution, or sol, that is applied to a substrate using a spin- or dip-coating technique. The 

resulting gel layer is then pyrolyzed to form an oxide ceramic film. J. Fukushima and coworkers 

were the first to report using sol-gel techniques to prepare PZT films.28 They used butanol as the 

solvent for Pb ethylhexanate, Ti tetrabutoxide, and Zr acetalacetonate. Since then, great effort has 

been made to use the sol-gel technique to prepare PZT films. So far, the sol-gel route process can 

be classified into two categories: (1) Processes based on the use of 2-methoxyethanol as a reactant 

and solvent and (2) hybrid processes based on chelating ligands such as acetic acid or ethanolamine 

to reduce alkoxide reactivity.

In the 2-methoxyethanol process, metal-oxygen-metal bonds are formed as follows:

(1) M(OR)n + H2O → M(RO)n–1(OH) + ROH.

(2) 2M(RO)n–1(OH) → M2O(OR)2n–2 + H2O.

(3) M(OR)n + M(OR)n–1OH → M2O(OR)2n–2(OH) + ROH.

A key step in the 2-methoxyethanol process is the substitution of methoxyethoxy with Ti 

and Zr propoxide starting reagents, which produces the less-sensitive precursor solution of

M(OR)n + nR′OH → M(OR′)

n + nROH.
18

The hybrid process also utilizes alkoxide compounds as starting reagents but modifies the 

reaction with other reagents such as acetic acid or acetylacetone diethanolamine. The key reaction 

is chelation, which for acetic acid is

M(OR)n + xCH3COOH → M(OR)n–x(OOCCH3)

x + xROH.

Acetic acid serves to reduce the susceptibility of the starting reagent to hydrolysis and 

condensation. A typical flowchart showing the various processing steps for growing PZT films 

is demonstrated in figure 8.

Pb

Ethylhexanate

Ti

Tetrabutoxide

Zr

Acetalacetonate

Solution 2-Methoxyethanol

Mixture

Polymerization

Polymer Dissolution in H2O

Spin Coating

Heat Treatment

Pyrolysis

Crystalline Thin Film

H2O

Figure 8. Flowchart of sol-gel processing of thin films.

A typical sol-gel process yields a single-layer PZT film about 0.1 mm thick. Multicoating 

is generally used in order to obtain thicker films (0.5 mm). Tu and Miline modified the sol-gel 

technique/process and used a diol-based sol-gel process to deposit PZT films.29,30 They obtained 

0.5-mm-thick, or thicker, films in a single coating. This technique could provide great advantages 

in the preparation of thicker films for film utilization, such as microactuators, pyroelectric sensors, 

and multilayer capacitors.
19

3.3.2.2 Metallo-Organic Deposition Method. The MOD method for thin-film fabrication 

has been known for more than 100 yr.31 The process starts with dissolving precursor compounds in 

a proper solvent to obtain a true solution. This precursor solution is then coated onto a substrate 

by spin coating or spraying. The wet films are subsequently heated to remove any remaining solvent 

not evaporated during the deposition step, followed by pyrolyzing the organic films into inorganic 

films. If a thicker film is required, the coating and pyrolysis process are normally repeated several 

times until the required thickness is achieved. Finally, the films are postannealed to the desired 

crystalline phase, grain size, orientation, and oxygen content of the films.

The advantages associated with MOD are as follows: 

• All the desired cations are mixed at the molecular level. 

• Use of a low processing temperature. 

• Precursor solution is very stable in air.

• In almost all cases, the deposition process can be conducted in air. 

• It is easily applicable to substrates of any size and shape. 

Recently, the MOD method has arisen as a promising technique for oxide film preparation.

3.3.2.2.1 Precursor Synthesis. In the molecular structure of precursor compounds using 

MOD, the ligands are bonded to the center metal ion through a heteroatom bridge. The bridge 

atom can be O, S, P, or N. The schematic of metallo-organic compounds is given as follows:

R1 O

| ||

(R2 –C–C-O)n –M .

|

R3

Because most of the metallo-organic compounds suitable for oxide film fabrication are not 

commercially available, the success of oxide film fabrication from MOD processes strongly depends 

on the availability or the synthesis of metallo-organic compounds. So far, a number of methods 

have been developed to synthesize various metal precursors for producing oxide films by the MOD 

process. The major methods include the following:

• Double decomposition from ammonium soap.

• Neutralization.

• Metathesis reaction from metal acetate.

• Metathesis reaction from metal alkoxide.

Metal carboxylates are the most used starting materials in the MOD process for oxide films. 

According to the double decomposition reactions, metal carboxylate salts are synthesized by the 

reaction between the metal salt (typically hydrated nitrates or chlorides) and ammonium soap of 

the carboxylic acid, which is prepared before the reactions as follows:
20

• NH4OH + RCOOH → RCOONH4 + H2O 

• MXn + nRCOONH4 → M(RCOO)n + n(NH4)X.

When the resulting metal carboxylate is solid particles, the powder is filtered and washed 

to separate it from the solution. If it is a liquid, it can be extracted from the aqueous solution by 

using a nonpolar solvent such as xylene or benzene.

3.3.2.2.2 Solvent. In MOD, a liquid solution of organic compounds is prepared by dissolution of metal precursors with a suitable solvent that should have the following characteristics:

• High solvency for the precursors and does not interact with them.

• Adjustable viscosity.

• Adequate vapor pressure.

• Low cost, nontoxic, and noncorrosive.

Commonly used solvents for a MOD process are xylene and propionic acid. In cases where 

a single solvent does not meet all the requirements, mixed solvents are always utilized. With a 

combination of two or three solvents, the solvency capability of the solvent usually can be greatly 

improved. During the precursor solution preparation process, the addition order of precursor compounds is very important because of the micelle nature of the soap solutions. Micelles are aggregates of three or more soap molecules existing in the liquid in a thermodynamically stable state.32

The aggregation of polar carboxylate molecules could form a compact, closed configuration rather 

than linear chains, which produces a nonpolar structure. These cause the carboxylate soaps to have 

a low viscosity in low-polarity solvents. 

The advantage of the micelle nature of soap solutions in organic solvents is their ability 

to dissolve certain compounds by enclosing the molecules in the core of the micelles, which are 

otherwise not dissolved in the solvent. For example, La acetate is difficult to dissolve in xylene, but 

it is easily dissolved in a xylene solution of Ti dimethoxy dineodecanoate. To achieve this, the order 

of the addition of precursors is important, since it will decide what kinds of micelles exist in the 

solution and their solubility, which in turn will determine the solubility of precursors 

in the solvent. In the PZT film studies carried out by Yi et al., it was found that Zr propoxide must 

be added before Ti isopropoxide in solution preparation to avoid the formation of mono or diacetylated that will cause easy hydrolyzation.27 A typical process of fabricating films by MOD is 

illustrated in figure 9.

3.3.2.2.3 Spin-Coating and Pyrolysis Processes. Spinning is the technique used most for 

depositing a uniform coating on a substrate in the MOD process. Regardless of the solvent system 

used, the solvent evaporation of the precursor solution can cause inhomogeneity during the coating process, especially in a multicomponent system because of the difference in solubility of each 

metallo-organic compound in the solvent. Therefore, the deposition step should occur as fast as 

possible to avoid any segregation. In spin coating, the spinning starts with a slow rate to spread 
21

Precursor

Compounds

Solvent

Solution

Spin Coating/

Spraying

Heating

Pyrolysing

Figure 9. Flowchart for the MOD method.

the solution. As soon as the precursor solution completely covers the substrate, a spinning rate 

(≈3,000 rpm) is accelerated, quickly followed by a longer duration (30 s to 5 min).

After spin coating, the green organic films are usually heat treated in air or oxygen at 300 to 

≈500 °C to remove any remaining solvent not evaporated during the deposition step and to convert 

the organic film into an inorganic film. Homogeneous thermal decomposition is critical in order 

to avoid elemental segregation and to form uniform phases and properties in a multicomponent 

system. In the whole MOD process, the pyrolysis process is the most important step, because the 

microstructure of the film is developed during this step. The volume change typically is very large, 

with typical ratios of deposited-to-fired thickness of 6:1 to 30:1. An inadequate heating rate during 

this phase can cause various defects such as cracks and voids in the fired film. Unfortunately, there 

is no rule to select an optimized heating rate. 

To explain the thermal decomposition of carboxylates, a free radical mechanism is suggested. According to this mechanism, decomposition reactions go through the following three 

steps:

(1) Generation of the free radicals by thermal fission.

(2) Fragmentation and/or rearrangement of organic ligands.

(3) Oxidation of fission fragments of organic ligands by an oxidative chain reaction.

In a mixture of metallo-organic compounds, the free radicals generated by the decomposition of the least-stable metallo-organic compound will trigger the decomposition of the other precursors if their decomposition temperatures are not too different. This effect will lower the overall 

decomposition temperature, as compared to that of the individual components in the system. 
22

3.3.2.2.4 Lead Zirconate Titanate Films by the Metallo-Oxide Deposition Technique. 

So far, the PZT films prepared by the MOD technique are comparable to the films fabricated by 

other techniques. Among the precursors used for MOD, metal neopentanoate, neoctoate, and 

neodecanoate salts are the most commonly used precursor compounds. Xylene, propionic acid, 

and butanol are the most widely used solvents. Vest and coworkers use Pb 2-ethylhexanoate 

(Pb(C7H15COO)2), Ti dimethoxy dineodecanoate (Ti(OCH3)

2(C9H19COO)2), and Zr octanoate 

(Zr(C7H15COO)4) as precursor compounds to prepare PZT films. Xylene is used as the solvent.26 

The remnant polarization (Pr) of the PZT films was Pr=25 mC/cm2 and the dielectric constant 

was 600.

Klee et al. used Pb 2-ethylhexanoate, Ti-tetra-n-butylate, and Zr-acetylacetonate as starting 

compounds and butanol as the solvent to prepare PZT films.33 It was found that a high weight loss 

occurred during annealing due to the high carbon content of MOD films. High weight loss usually 

is accompanied by a large volume change, which causes a cracking problem. Their results suggested 

that MOD-derived films crystallized into a single-phase perovskite phase at a lower temperature 

than sol-gel processes.

In order to minimize the cracking problem, Haertling used short-chain caraboxylate and 

β-diketonate as precursors.34 The precursor solution not only showed an improved aging rate but 

also less film cracking due to small shrinkage associated with lower organic content precursors.

In most of the thin-film deposition techniques, the as-deposited PZT films have an amorphous structure. Therefore, postannealing is necessary to convert this amorphous phase into the 

desired ferroelectric perovskite phase. A typical microstructure of PZT films is of a rosette-type 

structure, where the rosette-like or spherulitic grains (perovskite phase) coexist with a nanocrystalline matrix (pyrochlore phase).35,36 The existence of the pyrochlore phase in the PZT films is attributed to the loss of PbO during the phase evolution, which inhibits the pyrochlore to perovskite 

phase transformation. It is widely accepted that pyrochlore has a cubic structure with a formulation of A2B2O7–x, richer in Zr and deficient in Pb than the perovskite structure. 

Two mechanisms have been suggested to explain the mixed phase structure of PZT films. 

One suggestion is that as-deposited amorphous films first crystallize as a fine-grained intermediate, 

nonferroelectric pyrochlore phase. The pyrochlore phase is converted into the perovskite phase during a high-temperature treatment. Because of the high surface-to-volume ratio, the evaporation of 

Pb from PZT films is favored during the postanneal process. The consequence is the presence 

of the Pb-deficient pyrochlore phase in the films. The composition deviation of the pyrochlore 

phase from the oxygen octahedral ferroelectrics (ABO3) stoichiometry increases with temperature 

and time of annealing and also depends on the substrate. Another mechanism proposes simultaneous crystallization of both pyrochlore and perovskite phases at high temperature from the amorphous films, which causes the two-phase structure.

Studies have shown that the amorphous to pyrochlore phase transformation takes place 

in the temperature range of 400 to 550 °C; whereas, the transformation between the pyrochloreperovskite phases occurs from 450 °C, depending on the film composition. The transformation 
23

between the pyrochlore-perovskite phase is a nucleation-controlled process, and the activation 

energies for nucleation and growth of 53:47 type PZT are 441 kJ/mol and 112 kJ/mol, respectively.37,38 The volume change accompanying the pyrochlore to perovskite formation is ≈13%.39 

Microstructure studies also demonstrate that the Zr-rich films not only have a larger grain size but 

also more pyrochlore phases, which is attributed to a higher nucleation barrier and high tendency 

of Zr to form the pyrochlore phase.38

3.4 Thick-Film Fabrication

3.4.1 Thick-Film Transfer Technology (Screen Printing)

In this method, to prepare the ink for screen printing, organic ingredients (including solvent, dispersing agent, and plasticizer) are first incorporated with the binder and then blended. 

The active pyroelectric powder is subsequently added and mixed. In order to screen print, a desired 

unmasked feature of the screen is placed over the substrate on which the film is to be printed. 

A dollop of ink is placed on the screen at a point behind the unmasked area, thereby stretching in 

an orthogonal direction across it. A squeegee is placed behind the ink dollop onto the screen while 

holding the squeegee at a 45° angle. Then, in a smooth motion having minimal downward force, 

the squeegee is gently drawn towards the body and across the top of the unmasked screen feature. 

The screen is then gently lifted off the substrate. Next, the sample is removed from the fixture and 

allowed to rest for 10 min. The sample is dried on a hot plate set at 100 °C for 15 min. The process 

is repeated to coat additional layers onto the substrate. After the screen printing is completed, the 

film is sintered at an appropriate temperature and for the proper time. A.K. Batra et al. describe 

the detailed description of the laboratory screen printing machine and the process for fabricating 

PZT films on various substrates in detail.40

Besides the above-cited techniques, ferroelectric films have also been fabricated with spray 

coating,41 rapid quenching,42 jet printing,43 aerosol deposition,44 and gas deposition45 methods.

3.5 Fabrication of Polymer-Ceramic Composites

The 0-3 connectivity composites are easy to fabricate, which allows for commercial production of these composites in a cost-effective manner.46 The composites that have shown some 

promising results and are prepared by simple composite fabrication routes are described in this 

section. As a result, most composites are fabricated as active pyroelectric- and polymer-based 

diphasic samples. A polymer component can be either polar or nonpolar. The second, more popular approach is using the sol-gel synthesis route. Though the glass-ceramics (g-cs) have also shown 

noticeable pyroelectric sensing elements, this section does not include specific description sections 

on such materials.

The 0-3 connectivity composite may be prepared by mixing the ceramic particles in a hot 

rolling mill with a softened thermoplastic polymer. High-pressure casting at the softening temperature of the polymer can then be used to produce thin films of composites. With a thermoset polymer such as epoxy, the mixing can be made at room temperature with the right proportion of the 

resin, hardener, and ceramic powder.46,47
24

In solvent casting, a polymer is first dissolved in a suitable solvent and then electroactive 

ceramic powder is added and mixed/dispersed. A mixture so obtained is kept in a suitable container 

for the solvent to evaporate. The film so obtained is hot pressed at the crystallization temperature 

of the polymer. The problems faced during the mixing operation are linked to a poor distribution 

of the ceramic inclusions, poor adhesion of component phases, or air bubbles in the composites. 

An agglomeration of ceramic particles is also present in the solution, which may be overcome by 

lowering the polymer viscosity via heating during the ultrasonic mixing process. 

Use the spin-coating technique for the fabrication of 0-3 connectivity composites. The 

following is a typical example for the preparation of a polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene 

(P(VDF-TrFE)):PZT composite. First of all, a suitable amount of polymer, P(VDF-TrFE), is 

dissolved in methyl-ethyl-ketone (MEK) to form a solution (PMix). A requisite amount of nanoceramic (PZT) powder is then added and the mixture is ultrasonically agitated for several hours 

to break up the agglomerates and to disperse the ceramic powder uniformly in the copolymer solution. With this composite solution (nPMix), a thin film can be deposited on conducting electroded 

substrate using a spin-coating technique. The steps involved in fabricating films by spin coating are 

illustrated in figure 10. The film is then annealed for 2–3 hr in air at 130 °C for the present case, and 

the top electrode is deposited for testing.48–50 The flowchart illustrating various steps involved in 

fabricating composite films is shown in figure 11.

Deposition

Spin-Up

Spin-Off

Evaporation

Figure 10. Spin-coating technique processing steps.
25

P(VDF-TrFE) + MEK = PMix

Nanoparticles + PMix = nPMix

(Ultrasonic Dispersion)

(Stirring)

nPMix Film Spin Coating

or

Solution Casting

Annealing

Electroding

Poling

Testing

Figure 11. Flowchart for fabrication of polymer-ceramic composite films.
26
27

4. Properties and Performance Parameters

of Important Pyroelectrics

4.1 Triglycine Sulfate Crystals and Their Isomorphs

The TGS crystal family, with the chemical formula (NH2CH2COOH)3.H2SO4, is one of the 

well-known ferroelectric materials useful for room temperature IR detector applications.51 Pyroelectric detectors based on TGS are uniformly sensitive to radiations in the wavelength range from 

ultraviolet to far IR and do not require cooling as compared to quantum detectors, where low cooling is required. The crystal structure of TGS is monoclinic below Tc (49 °C). There are two chemical formulas in the elementary cell of the lattice and the crystal is monoclinic with space group P21

in the ferroelectric phase. Above the Tc, in the paraelectric phase, there are two mirror planes at 

y=0.25 and 0.75 and space group P21/m. The ferroelectric effect is associated with the asymmetrical 

arrangement of the glycine group G I versus the mirror plane and the proton exchange between 

glycine groups G II and G III associated with the exchange role of zwitterions between two 

groups.51 The b-cut/(010) crystals are used for detector fabrication, which is also a cleavage plane.

Single crystals of TGS are usually grown from an aqueous solution by the method of temperature lowering or solution evaporation.52–57 TGS crystals weighing more than 100 g have also 

been grown from solution with ethyl alcohol additions.58 By mixing alcohol in an aqueous solution 

of TGS, part of the water in the solution associates with alcohol; this concentrates the solution. 

Thus, the supersaturation can be controlled to a certain degree, making it easier to grow TGS 

crystals. A typical growth habit of a TGS crystal grown at AAMU is shown in figure 12.

Figure 12. Photograph of a TGS crystal grown at AAMU.
28

The TGS family-based IR detectors provide the highest RV, but handling difficulties associated with their water solubility, hygroscopic nature, and fragility have confined their use to these 

single-element detectors and vidicons, where sensitivity is of prime importance. Furthermore, these 

crystals depole and the temperature range of their operation is limited. 

To improve upon the drawbacks cited above while maintaining the same basic structure, 

many modifications to TGS have been proposed and evaluated for PIR detection applications. 

These modifications include deuteration of TGS (DTGS); substitution of sulfuric acid with fluroberyllic acid to give triglycine fluroberyllate (TGFB) with and without deuteration to give 

(DTGFB); substitution of sulfuric acid with selenic acid to give triglycine selenate (TGSe); doping with cations such as Li, manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) to give 

Li-doped TGS (LiTGS), Mn-doped TGS (MnTGS), Cd-doped TGS (CdTGS), Zn-doped TGS 

(ZnTGS), and Cu-doped TGS (CuTGS); substitution of glycine by L-alanine (LATGS); and simultaneously doping with cations like nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), and cesium (Cs) and L-alanine 

to give Ni L-alanine-doped TGS (NiLATGS), Cr L-alanine-doped TGS (CrLATGS), and Cs 

L-alanine-doped TGS (CsLATGS), respectively.51

L-alanine has the effect of introducing an internal electric field to produce poled TGS 

crystals and stabilizing the spontaneous polarization. This is because the alanine molecules possess 

an extra methyl group that prevents them from rotating within the lattice. The dipole it possesses 

is thus fixed with respect to the crystal structure and does not disappear at the Tc. LATGS crystals 

can be thermally cycled through the Tc. They will retain their spontaneous polarization, thereby 

avoiding the poling process. There is an increase in FOM depending upon the L-alanine content in 

the TGS lattice. However, the growth yield is not 100% and crystals usually crack during polishing. 

The uniformity of L-alanine doping in the TGS lattice is also difficult to attain. 

Table 2 compares the performance FOMs of modified TGS crystals at their optimum/room 

temperature over pure TGS crystals.1 It can be inferred that deuteration of TGS provides a marked 

improvement to the RV and also increases the Tc to 60 °C, depending on the deuteration level. This 

is extremely desirable as it increases the temperature range of detector operation. Bye and Keve59

studied the pyroelectric properties of x-ray irradiated/field-treated TGS detectors and compared 

these with LATGS detectors. The improvements in FOMs of x-ray/field-treated TGS detectors 

were comparable with L-alanine-doped TGS detectors. In this case, uniformity in properties and 

yield for large-area crystals was 100%. Thus, they proposed that a small-area, single-element detector should preferably be manufactured from LATGS; whereas, for thermal imaging applications 

requiring large areas of uniform properties, an irradiation/field-treated TGS would be required. 

A marginal improvement in FOM has also been proposed by doping with cations. Loiacono 

and Dougherty60 suggested that higher concentrations of Zn, Cd, and Cu should give promising 

results. There have been some encouraging results reported from crystals grown from solutions 

doped with L-alanine and cations such as Cs, Ni, and Cr. It can be seen that there was a marked 

increase in FOMs. Furthermore, Cs and alanine doping (CsLATGS) produced more uniformly 

doped crystals, as is evident from the shape of the hysteresis loop compared with LATGS. However, the growth yield was lower than with pure TGS crystals. In the recent past, doped TGS crystals with organic molecules have been reported with encouraging results such as L-lysine, urea, 

urea + L-alanine, thiourea, guanidine, and others.61–66 A higher performance and increase in 
29

Table 2. Material characteristics and FOMs of modified TGS crystals.1

Crystals

Temperature 

of Measurement

(°C)

Fi=p

(nC/cm2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(nC/cm2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(nC/cm2K)

TGS Room temperature 16 – 45 20 – 100 0.5 – 1.14 0.4 – 121

DTGS 25 25 – 70 18 – 22.5 ≈ 1.4 –

LATGS 25 22 – 70 26 – 35 ≈0.88 – 2 31.8 – 92.5

Field x-ray-treated TGS 21 38 26 1.4 41.3

DLATGS 25 25 22 1.13 –

LiTGS Room temperature 40 40 1 –

MnTGS Room temperature 56 40 1.4 –

CdTGS 40 – – 1.28 –

CuTGS 40 – – 1.28 –

ZnTGS 40 – – 1.41 –

CrLATGS 35 50 40 1.25 179.7

NiLATGS 35 82 51 1.8 213

CaLATGS 35 134 41 3.26 189.5

ATGSP 25 65 30 – 32 2 155.5

ATGSAs 25 70 32 2.1 – 2.3 –

ADTGSP 25 27.5 23 1.19 –

TGFB 60 70 50 1.4 –

ATGAs 25 70 32 2.18 –

TGPS Optimum temperature 21 – 25 14 – 15 1.5 –

DTGPS Optimum temperature 19 – 25 11 – 14 2 –

TGSe 21 420 420 1 40

Oblique cut TGS 35 – – ≈ 1.7 –

Oblique cut ADTGSP 35 – – ≈ 1.9 –

range of the operational temperature were offered by TGFB and DTGFB. However, the growth 

and processing of these crystals is dangerous due to the presence of toxic beryllium. 

It has been reported67–69 that large anisotropy is the principal dielectric, and that constant 

tensor coefficients can be used to obtain an improved material FOM for high RV (FV) from the 

TGS family crystals by taking oblique crystal cuts, in which the normal to the electroded faces of 

the detector are no longer parallel to the polar axis. This is because the effective p exhibits a cosine 

dependence on the angle of rotation, while the dielectric constant depends on a cosine-squared 

relationship. An improvement by a factor of 2 can be obtained in FV by cutting the crystal at an 

optimum angle.

The TGS family-based IR detectors provide the highest RV, but handling difficulties associated with their water solubility, hygroscopic nature, and fragility have confined their use to these 

single-element detectors and vidicons, where sensitivity is of prime importance. Various techniques 

have been explored by which thin films can be prepared as an alternative way to lapping and polishing thin slices and long crystal growth processes. 
30

Whipps and Bye70 have prepared thin polycrystalline films by using the sedimentation from 

a fluid suspension of freeze-dried crystallites of TGS onto glass slices, followed by compression to 

remove porosity. However, the pyroelectric performance from the films was lower than from singlecrystal devices of similar dimensions.71 Hadni et al.72 developed a technique by which oriented thin 

films of TGS can be grown by nucleation of crystals in an array of submicroscopic holes etched in 

a substrate. 

Recently, Hadni and Thomas73 and Hadni74 have shown that it is possible to grow an 

epitaxial layer of TGS on a gold (Au) electrode with a thickness smaller than 1 mm, and thus 

make a pyroelectric detector. The pyroelectric D* was found to be better than bulk TGS detectors 

at 40 °C. They have also shown that the D* of TGSe epitaxial detectors grown on bulk TGS crystals is six times better than the best detector made by Mullard, UK, under similar conditions.

It is evident from table 2 that one can select a particular crystal depending upon the 

required application. For high-current R applications, TGSe-based devices will be advantageous. 

For high-voltage and high-D* applications at room temperature, various doped crystals such as 

LATGS, NiLATGS, CsLATGS, and alanine-doped triglycine sulfer-phosphate/arsenate ((ATGSP)/

arsenic (As)) are more useful. For a high-temperature range of operation applications, DTGFB 

seems more promising. However, actual use of the above crystals in an IR detector or vidicon tube 

will determine if the predicted improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio is realized. 

4.2 Perovskite Ferroelectrics

Perovskite is the name of the mineral called calcium (Ca) titanate ((CaTiO3) (CT)). The 

perovskite forms a very large family of oxygen octahedral ferroelectrics with the general formula of 

ABO3, where A represents a cation with a larger ionic radius, B represents a cation with a smaller 

ionic radius, and O is oxygen. The structure can be described as a three-dimensional network of 

corner-sharing BO6 octahedra within which there is a twelvefold coordinated site occupied by 

A cations. The A and B cations can be occupied with a wide range of ions to give a ferroelectric 

structure. Most of the ferroelectrics with perovskite-type structure are compounds of either the 

A2+B4+O3

2– or A1+B5+O32– type formulas. 

Most of the useful ceramic, such as BaTiO3, PT, PbZr1–xTixO3 (PZT), PLZT, potassium 

niobate (KN), K Na niobate (KxNa1–xNbO3, abbreviated as KNN), and K tantalate niobate 

(KTaxNb1–xO3, abbreviated as KTN) have perovskite structures.75 Two groups of perovskites that 

have been extensively studied for their pyroelectric properties are rhombohedral structures based 

on modified Pb zirconate (PZ) and tetragonal structures based on modified PT. A small-sized single 

crystal can be grown from a variety of fluxes in both cases. 

Most of the studies have been conducted on ceramics. Ceramics offer a number of advantages over other candidate crystalline materials such as low cost to manufacture in large areas using 

standard mixed oxide processes (both mechanically and chemically robust), their ability to process 

into thin wafers, they possess high Tc (can be operated at high temperatures), and can be modified 

by introduction of selected dopants into a lattice to control important parameters such as p, dielectric constant and loss, Tc, electrical impedance and mechanical properties, etc.76 A unit cell of a 

PZT ABO3 structure is shown in figure 13.
31

(a) Unit cells (b) Schematic

Ti or Zr (B)

O 

Pb 

Figure 13. PZT ABO3 structure: (a) Unit cells and (b) schematic.

4.2.1 Modified Lead Titanate

Lead titanate is a ferroelectric possessing tetragonal structure at room temperature with a 

high Curie point (490 oC).77 It also possesses a high spontaneous polarization (up to 75 μC/cm2). 

Although the growth of single crystals by flux and top-seeded solution growth is possible, the 

growth of crystals more than 1 cm in size is very difficult, again restricting the material’s practical 

use to ceramic form. The high spontaneous lattice strain associated with the phase transition makes 

the fabrication of pure PT ceramics impractical, as they are mechanically unstable at room temperature. Again, a wide range of dopants (which include Mn, rare earths, Ca, and Pb((Co1/2 W1/2)

O3) has been explored to stabilize the material’s properties.

Pb1.05–xLaxTi1–x/4O3 (x=0–0.2) thin films were obtained by the screen printing method 

on Au bottom electrodes using Si (l00) substrates at the annealing temperature of 600 °C. The 

maximum p of 1.07×10–8 C/cm2K was obtained at x=0.1 after poling.78 The diffusion of (Pb,La)

TiO3 to the Au electrode and then to platinum (Pt) electrodes was on the same level, therefore Au 

electrodes can be prepared by screen printing for practical use of these films at a low cost.

Lanthanum-modified PT thin films with different La contents were fabricated on Pt/Ti/

SiO2/Si substrate using the sol-gel method. The p were 1.3–2.5 nC/cm2K and increased as the La 

content increased.79

Pyroelectric PT thin films deposited by sol-gel processing have been characterized for possible use in microsensor applications. Based on a comparison of relevant properties with other 

integrated circuit (IC)-compatible pyroelectric materials, PT possesses a very high p over a wide 

operating temperature range. The measured p at 297 K for PT films with thicknesses ranging from 
32

0.2 to 0.6 μm is in the range of 75 to 96 nC/cm2K. This work presents the first use of PT as a pyroelectric material integrated into a micromachined membrane structure.80 This composite structure 

offers a key advantage of implementing a low thermal mass for high-sensitivity pyroelectric detection. The measured blackbody RV for a pyroelectric element with an active area of 4×10–5 cm2

at 297 K and a chopping frequency of 100 Hz is 2.2×104 V/W. The normalized D* at 100 Hz is 

1×109 cm Hz1/2/W. The response time measured by the pulsed laser-beam method for a device area 

ranging from 2×10–6 to 7×10–4 cm2 is in the range of 2 to 20 μs.

The deposition of single-phase perovskite PT thin films by planar multitarget sputtering on 

Si substrates covered with a thin Pt bottom electrode has been investigated.81 The films exhibited 

nearly random crystallographic orientation. The films are self-polarized, which means they exhibited pyroelectric currents without poling treatment. After additional furnace annealing and poling, 

the p was 1.7×10–4 C/m2K. The annealing also reduced the dielectric loss (tan δ) from 0.05 to 0.01.

Thin films in the Pb-CT (PCT) system have been successfully prepared by sol-gel processing 

on indium (In) tin (Sn) oxide- (ITO-) coated 6059 glass substrates.82 The perovskite phase of PCT 

is formed at 650 °C with a polycrystalline tetragonal structure. The electrical properties of these 

films have been characterized and ferroelectric hysteresis loops have been observed. The pyrocoefficient and FOMs have been calculated and it is observed that PCT films show quite good pyroelectric properties. PCT (76/24) is expected to give high IR detector performance due to its high value 

of RV and D* along with smaller values of dielectric constant and loss tangent.

Chang and Lai used RF sputtering methods to deposit PT thin films with different Ca 

contents on a Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate.83 Authors found that, at 50 °C, the p increased from 

0.8×10–4 to 1.89×10–4 C/m2K with Ca content.

For details on pyroelectric thin films for pyroelectric sensors, the reader can refer to an 

excellent review article by Muralt.84

4.2.2 Lead Zirconate Titanate

PZT-based ferroelectric oxide ceramics, for use in PIR detection, offer a number of advantages over single crystalline materials such as TGS, LT, PVDF, etc. PZT is a solid solution phase 

of the xPbZrO3(1–x)PT (0<x<100) binary system.

Ferroelectric oxide ceramics for use in PIR detectors are relatively low cost to manufacture 

by using standard mixed-ceramic oxide processing steps and they are both mechanically and chemically robust. Their good mechanical strength allows large area wafers to be made, which can be 

easily machined into thin sections. They are not hygroscopic as are high pyroelectric performance 

TGS single crystals. Furthermore, TGS single crystals are fragile in nature, which causes technical 

difficulties in the processing. The environmental temperature is also a problem for using and storing these devices. Ferroelectric materials used in PIR detectors operate only below the Tc because 

they get depoled above Tc. Ferroelectric oxide ceramics also have a high Tc so that there is no 

danger of depoling during normal usage over a wide range of ambient temperatures (e.g., –50 to 
33

100 oC). The pyroelectric performance of PZT-type ceramics can be readily modified by inclusion 

of selected dopants (elements) into the lattice, thereby controlling important desired parameters. 

The pyroelectric properties of a hot-pressed PLZT (8/40/60) were investigated in some 

detail to evaluate its potential as a prospective PIR detector material.85 The results of measurements show that (8/40/60) has a relatively high dielectric constant, a high p, and favorable thermal 

and mechanical characteristics comparable with (8/65/35). The calculated FOMs based on the measured properties were compared with other PLZTs of (8/65/35), (12/40/60), and (14/40/60) compositions and the LT single crystal. The results indicate that PLZT (8/40/60) is a promising material for 

small-area, voltage-mode IR detectors. This material has permanent bias to its polarization, so that 

repoling is not necessary following a temperature excursion above the Tc.

Suaste-Gomez et al.86 reported the pyroelectric properties of the Pb0.88Ln0.08Ti0.98 Mn0.02O3

(Ln=La, samarium (Sm), and europium (Eu)) ferroelectric system represented as Pb-La titanate 

manganate (PLTM), Pb-Sm titanate manganate (PSTM), and Pb-Eu titanate manganate (PETM), 

respectively, in table 3. The values obtained for p, even at Tc, are lower than values obtained in the 

author’s samples.88 Pyroelectric properties of the multicomponent ferroelectric ceramic materials, 

on the basis of solid solutions of PT-PbZrO3-PbNb2/3Zn1/3O3-PbSb2/3Mn1/3O3-PbW1/2Mg1/2O3

(system I) and PT-PbZrO3-PbNb2/3Zn1/3O3-PbSb2/3Mn1/3O3-PbNb2/3Mn1/3O3 (system II), prepared using the hot pressing technique, have been investigated at room temperature by Czekaj 

et al.87 for both tetragonal and rhombohedral phase areas and morphotropic (M) phase boundary. 

The average value of the p obtained in the M region was 400 μC/m2K for system I and 500 μC/m2K 

for system II. The maximum value of dielectric ε obtained in the M region was 1,440 and 1,380, 

respectively. The value obtained for p of systems I and II makes them prospective candidates for 

practical applications as materials for pyroelectric detectors for high current R. 

Table 3. Physical properties and FOMs of various pyroelectric PZT-type bulk materials.

Ceramic

Fi

=p

(mC/cm2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(mC/cm2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(mC/cm2K)

Modified PZT 380 290 1.3 408.6

PLZT 450 700 0.64 170.4

PLZT 350 1,129 0.31 62.2

PLTM 13.2@Tc 13,236@Tc 0.0001@Tc –

PSTM 6.14@Tc 6,141@Tc 0.0001@Tc –

PETM 5.51@Tc 5,510@Tc 0.001@Tc –

STPZT1 379.5 1,156.6 0.33 79.6

STPZT2 408.5 768.6 0.53 287.6

BM740 300 631.3 0.47 98

Guggilla et al.88 extensively studied pyroelectric and dielectric properties of various ceramics such as STPZT-1 (PLZT), STPZT-2 (PLZT + MnO2), and BM740 (modified PZT, obtained 
34

from Sensor Technology Ltd., Canada) for their applications in IR sensors and compared them 

with other candidate materials including PZT-type ceramics studied by other researchers. The 

material FOMs at 50 oC were calculated from measured parameters (dielectric constants and p) 

for their use in PIR detectors. From the viewpoint of pyrosensor applications, ceramics (namely 

STPZT-2 and BM740) are remarkably attractive due to their large p and low dielectric loss. It is 

worthy to mention that the materials investigated are also capable of high operating temperature 

(up to 100 °C) applications. The results are described in table 3.

Perovskite ceramics of modified PZT type have been extensively studied because of their 

excellent dielectric, electrooptical, piezoelectric, and pyroelectric properties. Oxygen ions with 

200 keV energy and doses of 1×1016 ions/cm2 were irradiated onto a commercially available 

modified PZT sample having good pyroelectric properties for use in IR detectors. The sample’s 

response was studied in terms of dielectric and pyroelectric properties before and after irradiation. 

A decrease in dielectric constants (ε′, ε′′) and the p is observed.89

 Very thin films of PZT (40/60) (0.26 μm or less) have been prepared on Pt-coated oxidized 

Si substrates (Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si) by a sol-gel process.90 These films were of high density with fine grains 

of about 0.2 μm and annealed in the range of 600 to 700 °C in an oxygen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction patterns taken on this film showed a single-phase, perovskite-type structure. Authors 

investigated the influence of poling treatment on the dielectric and pyroelectric properties, dielectric 

constants, and pyroelectric properties. Dielectric constants and p at room temperature were determined as 1,300 and 840 nC/cm2K and 68 for the poled and 10.3 nC/cm2K for the unpoled PZT 

films. The remanent polarization was 37.8 μC/cm2 and a coercive field was 146 kV/cm at a switching voltage of 16 V peak to peak and a frequency of 200 kHz. The remanent polarization and 

coercive field were found to vary slowly with temperature. The material was also difficult to depole. 

Authors have suggested that these films will be suitable for IR detector applications.

PLZT films around 3 μm thick with compositions of ((Pb0.925La0.075)(Zry/Ti1–y)

0.981

+ 0.5 mass % MnO2), where y=0–0.1, that have an appropriately small relative dielectric constant 

(≈200) were deposited on Pt(l00)/MgO(l00) by RF magnetron sputtering.91 The pyroelectric properties of PLZT films as element materials for PIR sensors were investigated in detail.91 Assuming that the CV of the present films is 3.2 J/cm3K, the PLZT films exhibited the highest FOM of 

1.4×10–10 Ccm/J and FOM of D* (FD*) of 1.6×10–8 Ccm/J, which were around 1.8 and 1.5 times 

larger than those of Pb-La titanate (PLT) films, respectively. Consequently, the FOMs for the PIR 

sensors could be improved by adding a small amount of Zr to PLT.

PLZT 12/40/60 thick films prepared by screen printing techniques have been characterized 

electrically.92 It was found that the sintering time and the poling manner influenced the dielectric 

and pyroelectric properties. The best results were obtained at sintering parameters of 1,100 °C for 

5 hr. Room-temperature poling results in slightly reduced values of the p but allows higher poling fields, up to 5× 106 V/m. The room-temperature relative ε is about 200 and the dielectric loss is 

less than 0.014. The room-temperature p is about 1.5×10–4 C/m2K. These properties (except the p) 

are better then those measured on bulk ceramics and are comparable with commonly used singlecrystal pyroelectrics. The thick-film technology introduced and discussed by authors can offer 

significant advantages in pyroelectric sensor production. The possibility of varying the process 
35

parameters allows some flexibility in choosing the characteristics of the resulting pyroelectric 

layers.

The pyroelectric and dielectric properties of Pb(Zr0.3,Ti0.7)O3 (PZT) thin films are systematically investigated as functions of film thickness ranging from 0.3 to 1 μm.93 For better D* of the 

film, high p, low-dielectric coefficient, and loss tangent are needed. It can be achieved by highly 

textured (111) preferred orientation and dense microstructure. To minimize the unwanted preferred 

orientation with increasing film thickness, a step-by-step annealing process and highly textured 

(111) Pt bottom electrodes are applied. With increasing film thickness, the squareness of polarization hysteresis loops and remanent polarization values are maximized. Although there is a slight 

variation of preferred orientation with film thickness, dielectric properties are markedly changed 

due to microstructural variation. Because of the large improvement of loss tangent, the FOM is 

improved with minithickness. It is maximized at a thickness of 1 μm. The maximum p measured 

by the Byer-Roundy method is 38 nC/cm2K.

Epitaxially grown and polycrystalline PT, PLT, and PZT thin films with thicknesses from 

1 to 2 μm have been prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by means of a sol-gel spin-coating technique.94,95 The ferroelectric thin films have good crystallization behavior and excellent dielectric 

and pyroelectric properties. The p of PT, PLT, and PZT thin films are 2.9×10–8 C/cm2K, (3.37–

5.25)×10–8 C/cm2K, and 6.1×l0–8 C/cm2K, respectively. The FOMs for RV of PT, PLT, and PZT 

thin films are 0.6×10–10 Ccm/J, (0.59–0.78)×10–10 Ccm/J, and 0.63×10–10 Ccm/J, respectively. 

The current responsivities of these films are 9×10–9 Ccm/J, (10.5–16)×10–9 Ccm/J, and 19.1×10–9

Ccm/J. The D*s are 0.74×10–8 Ccm/J, (0.79–1.13)×10–8 Ccm/J, and 0.83×10–8 Ccm/J, respectively.

The effects of Mn doping on the ferroelectric and pyroelectric properties of Pb(Zr0.3, 

Ti0.7)O3 (PZT) thin films on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates have been investigated.96 The Mn-doped 

(1 mol. %) PZT (PMZT) showed almost no hysteretic fatigue up to 1010 switching bipolar pulse 

cycles, coupled with excellent retention properties. A low-ε interfacial layer that generally formed 

between the Pt electrode and PZT films does not occur in PMZT. It was proposed that Mn dopants are able to reduce oxygen vacancy mobility in PZT films and Mn2+ ions consume the oxygen 

vacancies generated during repeated switching, forming Mn4+ ions. These mechanisms are probably responsible for their low-observed fatigue characteristics. manganese doping brings additional benefits to the electrical properties of PZT films. The relevant p of a 700-mm-thick film are 

3.52×10–4 C/m2K and FOMs for D* (FD)=3.85×10–5 Pa–0.5 at 33 Hz for Mn-doped PZT, compared with p=2.11×10–4 C/m2K and FD =1.07×10–5 Pa–0.5 for the undoped PZT films. This 

means that the Mn-doped PZT thin films are excellent candidates as device materials for both 

memory and pyroelectric applications.

Highly c-axis oriented PLZT films with compositions of (Pb0.925La0.075)(ZryTi1–y)

0.981O3, 

where y=0.2–0.4, were deposited on Pt(100)/MgO(100) by RF magnetron sputtering, applying an 

intermittent deposition comprised of the repetition of deposition and nondeposition.97 It was confirmed that the highest FOMs for the PIR sensors were obtained by using powders with excess PbO 

of 20 mol. % added to PLZT as sputtering targets in the preliminary experiment. The PLZT film 

where y=0.2 exhibited the highest FOM for RV of approximately 5.3×10–13 Cm/J among the three 

samples studied, which was around 1.8 times larger than that of PLZT ceramic where y=0.2.
36

Thin films of PbZr0.525Ti0.475O3 (PZT) and 1% Ta-oxide-doped PZT titanate 

(Pb0.9950(Zr0.525Ti0.465Ta0.010)O3 (PTZT)) deposited on Pt(200)/SiO2/Si(100) using the dc unbalanced magnetron sputtering (dc-UBMS) method have been investigated.98 The films were grown at 

deposition temperatures in the range of 300 to 750 °C for 3 hr, followed by annealing at 700 °C for 

1 hr for each deposited film. The films show tetragonal structure with preferred orientation to the 

(100) and (200) crystal planes. The calculated lattice constants are a=b=4.056 Å and c=4.105 Å 

for PZT thin film, and a=b=4.056 Å and c=4.068 Å for PTZT thin film. The conductivity of PZT 

films is between 2.24×10–13 (Ωm)–1 and 5×10–12 (Ωm)–1, whereas the conductivity of PTZT films 

is between 1.02×10–9 (Ωm)–1 and 1.9×10–8 (Ωm)–1 for films deposited at the temperature ranges 

mentioned above. The RV measured at a chopper frequency of 2,000 Hz and at a wavelength of 

947 nm is 62.1–80 μV/W and 61–76.4 μV/W for PZT and PTZT thin films, respectively. Meanwhile, 

the p is in the range of 9.54 to 12.3×10–4 C/m2K for PZT thin films and 9.35 to 11.7×10–4 C/m2K 

for PTZT thin films. These results showed that PZT and PTZT thin films are suitable for use as a 

PIR sensor.

Epitaxially grown and polycrystalline PT, PLT, and PZT thin films with thickness from 

1 to 2 μm have been prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by means of the modified sol-gel spincoating technique.99 The ferroelectric thin films have good crystallization behavior and excellent 

dielectric and pyroelectric properties. The p of PT and PLT thin films are 2.9×10–8 C/cm2K and 

(3.37–5.25)×10–8 C/cm2K, respectively. The FOMs for RV of PT and PLT thin films (FD) are 

0.6×10–10 Ccm/J and (0.79–1.13)×10–8 Ccm/J, respectively. The FOMs for current R of these films 

are 9×10–9 Ccm/J and (10.5–16)×10–9 Ccm/J, and the FOMs for D* of these films are 0.74×10–8

Ccm/J and (0.79–1.13)×10–8 Ccm/J, respectively.

 Various PLZT films have been prepared on platinized Si wafers. The dielectric constant 

and dissipation factors decreased and increased respectively with a higher firing temperature due 

to PbO loss. The pyroelectric activity in the PLZT films was compositional dependent. PZT 53/47 

exhibited the highest p at 7.7×10–8 C/cm2K (at a heating rate of 1 K/min). The PT film exhibited a low p (<2×10–9 C/cm2K) due to its (100) preferred orientation. It was observed that the p

decreased as the rate increased. At high heating rates, the films are unable to conduct heat uniformly, causing a decrease in the calculated p.

100

PZT films with various Nb doping levels were deposited on Pt(111)/TiO2/SiO2/Si(100) 

substrate via the CVD technique followed by rapid thermal annealing (RTA).101 The introduction 

of the first seeding layer significantly improved the crystallization quality after RTA. The dielectric 

constant of PMZT films increased with the increase of Nb doping concentration. PZT films with 

1% Nb doping exhibit higher remnant polarization (49.33 μC/cm2), p (4.6×10–4 C/m2K), and FOM 

(1.89×10–5 Jm3/K), which indicates that Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)

0.99Nb0.01O3 would be a good candidate for 

PIR sensor applications.

Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3, (PZT) thin films fabricated by the magnetron sputtering technique 

on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate at room temperature were annealed by means of a carbon dioxide (CO2) 

laser with resulting temperatures below 500 °C.102 It was found that the annealed film with laser 

energy density of 490 W/cm2 for 25 s has a typical perovskite phase, uniform crystalline particles 

with size of about 90 nm, and a high p with 1.15×10–8 C/cm2K. Thus, laser-annealed PZT thin 

films are very promising for uncooled detectors and other pyroelectric applications.
37

Dorey and Whatmore investigated uranium- (U-) doped Pb magnesium (Mg) niobate-Pb 

zirconate titanate (PMN-PZT) (PMNZTU) composite thick film fabricated on Si substrate using 

a new composite sol-gel technique processed at 700 °C.103 The maximum FOMs (FV =3.45×10–2

C/m2K and FD =1.01×10–5 Pa–1/2) calculated were comparable with screen-printed thick films. 

Authors concluded that the ability of this technique to directly integrate thick film onto Si substrate at temperatures as low as 710 °C, while maintaining competitive FOMs, is of considerable 

interest for future device applications. Table 4 illustrates the properties of various PZT films grown 

by different methods.

Table 4. Material characteristics and FOMs of perovskite films.90–95

Material Substrate

Fi

=p

(nC/cm2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(nC/cm2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(nC/cm2K)

PbTiO3 (screen printing) – 60 200 0.3 –

PbTiO3 (sol-gel) – 25 190 0.13 23.4

La-modified PbTiO3 (screen printing) Au-coated SiO2//Si(100) 10.7 – – –

La-modified PbTiO3 (sol-gel) Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si 1.3 – 2.5 – – –

PbTiO3 film (sol-gel) Polycrystalline Si 85 – 115 150 – 400 0.56 – 0.28 56.6

PbTiO3 film (multitarget sputtering) Pt-coated Si 17 180 0.09 12.6

Ca-modified PbTiO3 (sol-gel) ITO-coated glass 46 99 0.46 12.8

PbTiO3 film (sputter) (001)Pt/MgO 25 97 0.25 32.8

PLZT (ceramic) (8/40/60) – 120 4,285 0.02 10

PLZT (ceramic) – 45 700 0.06 17

PZT (40/60) (sol-gel) Pt-coated oxidized Si 85 1,004 0.08 10.1

Mn-PZT (sol-gel) Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si 35.3 255 0.13 28.6

PLZT (12/40/60) (screen print) Pt/alumina 15 190 0.07 9.2

PLZT (12/40/60) (ceramic) – 35 1,129 0.03 6.2

PLZT (rf-magnetron sputter) Pt/MgO(110) 81 205 0.39 51.9

PZT (30/70) (spin coat) Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si 24 600 0.04 10.9

PZT (sol-gel) (111) Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si 61 300 0.2 28.7

4.2.3 Lithium Tantalate and Lithium Niobate

Lithium tantalate and LN have similar structures. They are one of a large number of ABO3. 

The neighboring oxygen octahedrals are connected to each other through an oxygen ion that 

serves a common “tie-end.” The symmetry of both crystals belongs to the point group 3m in the 

trigonal ferroelectric phase at room temperature. The symmetry to the point group 3m changes in 

the paraelectric phase above Tc. At room temperature, the lattice parameters of the trigonal unit 

cell are a=5.4944 Å, α=55° 52′ in LN, and a=5.4740 Å, α =56° 10′ in LT. Sometimes, it is more 

convenient to choose a hexagonal cell for description, with Li and Ta ions occupying two-thirds of 

the octahedral interstices between the layers. Lithium tantalate also possesses a high melting point 

(1,650 °C) and is insoluble in water.104 These factors make the material one of the most stable 

pyroelectrics with a very wide temperature range of operation.
38

This material is generally used in single-crystal form, crystals being grown by the CZ 

method and wafers of more than 50-mm diameter are commercially available. It possesses a moderate pyroelectric effect and dielectric constant that combine to give a response figure about one 

quarter of TGS. However, very low values of dielectric loss (about 10–4) have been reported for 

this material, which give it a potential FD that is about four times greater than that of DTGS, 

although the loss of commercially available material is rather higher. However, with the lowest loss 

materials, high D* figures can be achieved with low-noise amplifiers. By using ion beam milling to 

fabricate very thin (about 2–5 mm) elements in structures and packages in which thermal conductance had been minimized, Stokowski et al. demonstrated D* figures as high as 2×109 cm Hz1/2/W 

at 10 Hz.105

Roundy106 has also used LT for one-dimensional detector arrays interfaced to a chargecoupled device (CCD) multiplexing chip. A disadvantage that LT possesses for this application is 

the high thermal diffusivity, which reduces the array’s minimum resolvable temperature difference 

at high spatial frequencies. The robustness, good performance, and wide availability of this material, including its ability to withstand high-energy IR radiation with a fast response time of 0.5 ns 

make it a popular choice for commercial detectors. Norkus gives a short review on PIR detectors 

based on LT.107 Lithium tantalate thin films (≈0.5 μm) have been successfully deposited on Pt(111)/

SiO2/Si(100) substrates by means of the sol-gel spin-coating technology. FOMs for IR detectors 

were studied for the LT thin films. High FV of 2.1×10–10 Ccm/J and FD of 2.4×10–8 Ccm/J exist 

because of the relative low ε′ of 35 and high p of 4×10–8 C/cm2K of the films. The PIR detector 

fabricated by the LT thin-film exhibits an RV of 4,584 V/W at 20 Hz and a high specific D* of 

4.23×107 cm Hz1/2/W at 100 Hz.108

Lithium tantalate in single-crystal form is widely applied in pyroelectric point detectors due 

to its high p of about 230 μC/m2K and a low relative ε of 47. This results in an excellent FV of 

4.9, combined with low dielectric losses of 0.1%. Deposition as thin films from solution precursors would be desirable for integration with readout electronics and simplified processing. In order 

to optimally use the spontaneous polarization of LT along the c-axis of its hexagonal unit cell, 

the thin films need to be grown with a (001) orientation of platinized Si. Investigation of different 

parameters like pyrolysis temperature, heating rate, final heat-treatment temperature, and cooling 

rate revealed that the heating rate determines the development of the desired (001) orientation. 

Slow heating with 1 °C/s results in (001)-oriented LT thin films, while faster ramps lead to random 

or (110) textured films. After precursor deposition by spin coating and pyrolysis at 350 °C of all 

layers, a gel-like solid amorphous film remains. This layer crystallizes during RTA. Preferred heterogeneous nucleation at the LT/Pt interface can be expected for slow heating, resulting in a (001)- 

oriented layer due to local epitaxy with the (111) textured Pt. For fast heating rates of 63 °C/s, 

bulk or surface nucleation may dominate, leading to random or (110) textured films. Electrical 

measurements after poling the films in an external electric field of 50 kV/cm at 200 °C showed a 

p of 171 μC/m2K and a dielectric constant of 40, resulting in an FOM of 4.2, comparable to the 

single-crystal values of 4.9.109

An LT thin film has been deposited by RF magnetron sputtering with an Li-enriched target 

composed of Li2O2/Ta2O5 (55:45 wt. %) on membranes of SiNx with the aim of improving the 

performance of thermal microsensors. The best p of LT films (400 nm) obtained was equal to 

40 μC/m2K for a growth temperature of 620 °C and a pressure of 0.67 Pa.110
39

Radio frequency sputtering has been used to deposit thin films of LT on ruthenium (Ru) 

oxide (RuO2)- or SiO2-coated Si substrates. Two electrical contact configurations have been used. 

The first configuration is a thin capacitor with an RuO2 buried electrode and an Au, Ni, or RuO2

upper electrode. The second configuration has recourse to RuO2 interdigitated electrodes fabricated by a photolithographic process. Ferroelectric hysteresis measured with a Sawyer-Tower circuit 

shows a spontaneous polarization in the range of 20 μC/cm2 and an electric coercive field of 3 kV/

cm. The dynamic pyroelectric response has been measured as a function of frequency at various 

temperatures. The pyroelectric current and voltage responses, from 100 Hz to 1 kHz at room temperature, are 12 μA/W and 18 V/W, respectively. The authors have investigated the effects of the 

poling process and significant improvements of the pyroelectric response have been obtained.111

Lithium niobate crystals display larger “secondary pyroelectricity,” which is caused by 

a change in the polarization owing to thermal expansion. The ps of 2.3×10–9 C/cm2K, which is 

found to be 25% of the first p (8.3×10–9 C/cm2K), has been found.112 Due to this property, it 

has found limited commercial application. Recently, Gebre et al. have extensively investigated the 

general p of pure and doped LN crystals as shown in table 5 and found that iron- (Fe-) doped LN 

crystals are attractive for use in detectors.113 A photograph of pure and doped LN crystals grown 

at AAMU is shown in figure 14.

Table 5. Material characteristics and FOMs of modified LN crystals.113

Crystals

Fi

=p

(nC/cm2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(nC/cm2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(nC/cm2K)

LN single crystal

(at T=500 °C)

7.2 31.4 0.23 21.1

LN:Fe single crystal

(at T=500 °C)

33.8 50.1 0.68 65

LN:Fe/Mn single crystal

(at T=500 °C)

9 47.3 0.16 20.9

LN:Eu single crystal 

(at T=500 °C)

15.3 39.3 0.39 39.2

LN single crystal 

(at T=250 °C)

4 30 0.13 –

Notes:

• LN—Lithium niobate.

• LN:Fe— LN doped with Fe.

• LN:Fe/Mn—LN doubly-doped with Fe and Mn.

• LN:Eu—LN doped with Eu.

4.2.4 Barium Strontium Titanate Material System

Barium Sr titanate (BST), a perovskite ferroelectric material, has applications in electronic, 

microwave, and pyroelectric devices. When the Ba:Sr ratio equals 0.7:0.3, the tetragonal to cubic 

phase is near room temperature. BST ceramic and single crystals have the highest p ever obtained 

from pyroelectric materials (23 μC/cm2K). However, BST ceramic- and single-crystal forms are 

difficult, expensive, and time consuming to fabricate.114
40

Figure 14. Pure and doped LN crystals grown at AAMU.

Many efforts have been made to integrate thin films of BST Si processing and to grow them 

thin with higher p. Some of them are described with their important findings in the following 

paragraphs.

The BST (Ba0.64Sr0.36TiO3) thin films have been prepared by the sol-gel method on a Ptcoated Si substrate. The resulting thin films show very good dielectric and pyroelectric properties. 

The dielectric constant and dissipation factor for the Ba0.64Sr0.36TiO3 thin film at a frequency 

of 200 Hz are 592 and 0.028, respectively. The peak p at 30 °C is 1,080 μC/m2K. The p at room 

temperature (25 °C) is 1,860 μC/m2K, and the FOM (p/tε′′: t-thickness in mm) of this film is 

37.4 μC/m3K. The high p and the greater FOMs of Ba0.64Sr0.36TiO3 thin films make them possible 

to be used for thermal IR detection and imaging.115 Lee et al. obtained BST films with a considerably high p of 240 nC/cm2K.116

BST (Ba1–xSrxTiO3) ferroelectric thin films have been prepared by MOD on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si 

substrates and on a micromachined wafer with an aim to fabricate a dielectric bolometer-type IR 

sensor.117 The x-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern and D–V hysteresis curve of the film have been 

measured in order to investigate the effects of the final annealing temperature and annealing time 

on the property of the film. The results show that the films annealed at 700 or 800 °C all have good 

perovskite structure, while the film annealed at 800 °C has better ferroelectric loops. Films annealed 

at 800 °C with different annealing times from 5 to 60 min show a similar perovskite structure, 

among which films annealed at 30- and 60-min conditions have the better ferroelectric loops. 

The temperature coefficient of dielectric constant (TCD) of the MOD made BST thin film on 
41

micromachined substrate is about 1%/K. The uniformity of the BST film on a micromachined 

Si wafer has also been confirmed to be good enough for operation of a sensor array. Chopperless 

operation has been attained and IR response evaluation of the fabricated sensor has also been 

carried out with an RV of 0.4 kV/W and D* of 1×108 cm Hz1/2/W.

Sengupta et al. investigated the films of Ba0.64Sr0.36TiO3, Ba0.94Sr0.36Ti0.06Zr0.18O3, and 

Ba0.64Sr0.36TiO3/0.50 wt. % MgO compositions by ceramic tape casting and pulsed laser deposition methods, and these compositions were selected as reference materials as they are well represented in the literature.118 The data obtained from their patented Ba0.64Sr0.36TiO3/0.50 wt. % MgO 

composition shows a reduction in the dielectric constant and lower dielectric loss, thus contributing 

to a higher pyroelectric FOM. Their results are presented in detail in tables 6 and 7.

Table 6. Physical properties and FOMs of BST samples.118

Tape-Cast Material

Fi=p

(mC/cm2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(mC/cm2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(mC/cm2K)

Ba0.64Sr0.36TiO3 759 4,478 0.09 103.5

Ba0.94Sr0.06Zr0.18Ti0.82O3 96.5 1,818 0.05 25.39

Ba0.94Sr0.06TiO3/0.25 wt. % MgO 593 2,370 0.25 197.6

Ba0.94Sr0.06TiO3/0.25 wt. % MgO 550 1,370 0.4 183.3

Table 7. Physical properties and FOMs of BST thin-film samples.118

Thin Film

Fi

=p

(mC/cm2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(mC/cm2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(mC/cm2K)

Ba0.64Sr0.36TiO3 1,940 594 3.2 520.1

Ba0.94Sr0.06Zr0.18Ti0.82O3 1,260 1,119 1.2 100.8

Ba0.94Sr0.06TiO3/0.25 wt. % MgO 187 505 0.37 93.5

Ba0.94Sr0.06TiO3/0.25 wt. % MgO 129 297 0.43 62.3

Tetragonal Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 thin films with large columnar grains 100–200 nm in diameter 

have been prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates using a 0.05 M solution precursor by sol-gel processing. The ferroelectric phase transition in the prepared Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 thin films is broadened 

and suppressed to 40 °C with a maximum dielectric constant of εr (100 kHz)=680. The observed 

low dissipation factor (tan δ=2.6%) and high p=4.586×10–4 C/m2K at 33 °C render the prepared 

Ba0.8Sr0.2TiO3 thin films promising for uncooled IR detector and thermal imaging applications.119

(Ba0.6Sr0.3Ca0.1)TiO3 powders were prepared by the sol-gel method using a solution of 

Ba, Sr, and Ca acetate and Ti isopropoxide, and the specimens doped with MnCO3 (0.1 mol. %) 

and Y2O3 (0.5 mol. %) were fabricated by the cold isostatic press method. The urethane pot and 
42

zirconia ball were used in the mixing and grinding process, and the green pellets were sintered 

at 1,450 °C for 2 hr in the alumina crucible. The specimen exhibited a dense and void-free grain 

structure with a grain size of about 3 μm. The dielectric constant and the dielectric loss at Tc were 

16,600 and 1.2%, respectively. The specimen under a 4-kV/cm dc bias field showed the maximum 

p of 550×10–9 C/cm2K at Tc. The FD* of the specimen, applied with a dc 8-kV/cm bias field, was 

the highest value of 17.6×10–9 Ccm/J at Tc.

120

Silicon dioxide-doped Ba Sr titanate (SiO2-doped Ba0.85Sr0.15TiO3) (SBST) g-c films with 

perovskite structure have been prepared on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by the sol-gel technique. Differential thermal analysis (DTA), XRD, and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are employed to analyze 

the synthesizing process and microstructure of SBST g-c films. The ferroelectricity and crystallization behavior of SBST films are discussed. It is found that the staring synthesize temperature of 

SBST15 film is larger than that of a pure BST film for about 60 °C. The grain sizes decrease and 

the ferroelectricity of SBST g-c films is degenerated, but their loss tangent and leakage current 

density decrease with increasing SiO2 content. The TCD and the p of the films are measured. 

The results show that the TCD and the p of SBST5 film at 20–25 °C are 4.6%/°C and 8.1×10–8 C/

cm2K, respectively, which is about two-thirds of the value of the pure BST films. BST g-c film with 

5 mol. % SiO2 dopant is hopeful to be the advanced candidate material for uncooled IR focal plane 

arrays (UFPAs) applied at near room temperature.121

Liu et al. prepared the BST (Ba1–xSrx)TiO3 thin films with x=0, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.15 (BST, 

BST5, BST10, and BST15, respectively) on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrate by the improved sol-gel method. 

The resulting thin films show very good dielectric and pyroelectric properties. At 25 °C and 10 kHz, 

the dielectric constants of BST, BST5, BST10, and BST15 thin films were 320, 375, 400, and 425, 

respectively. Their loss tangents were found to be 0.035, 0.041, 0.024, and 0.01, respectively. The 

maximum p for BST10 film was found to be 12×10–8 C/cm2K at 35 °C.122

4.2.5 Strontium Barium Niobate 

SrBa niobate (SBN) solid-solution series (Sr1–xBaxNb2O6, where 0.2<x<0.8) has the 

tetragonal tungsten-bronze-type structure and belongs to the point group 4-mm symmetry. It 

possesses excellent pyroelectric and electrooptic properties. Due to good mechanical and undeliquescent properties, SBN is an ideal pyroelectric material. By changing the ratio Sr:Ba, the Tc of 

SBN can be changed in the range of 60 to 250 °C. The tetragonal-type ferroelectric SBN possesses 

a spontaneous polarization of 32 mC/cm3 (Sr:Ba=75:25) and a polar axis along the c-axis of the 

tetragonal lattice. The p of crystals of different composition of Sr:Ba are listed in table 8.123 Detectors that were fabricated have high stability in air without a protective window, as in the case of 

TGS. Furthermore, a thin plate of SBN has a high absorption capacity in the IR region above 

10 mm without blackening. The advantage is that it has no apparent piezoelectric response below 

a frequency of 50 MHz. It is widely used for fast detectors. The main shortcoming of SBN is that 

its dielectric constant is not low enough for application at high frequencies. Its high-frequency FV

is an order of magnitude less than TGS. So, SBN thin-film detectors are mainly used for smallarea, low-frequency applications. Amorin et al. investigated the effect of the La cation as a dopant 

in the polarization of the La-doped SBN (LSBN) (Sr0.3–3y/2LayBa0.7Nb2O6) system where y=0.01, 

0.03, and 0.05.124 It was found that the p and the spontaneous polarization of these materials
43

Table 8. Physical properties and FOMs of SBN crystals.123

Crystal 

Sr1–xBaxNb2O6

Fi=p

(mC/cm2K) ε ́

x = 0.27 0.28 8,200

x = 0.33 0.11 1,800

x = 0.4 0.085 610

x = 0.52 0.065 380

x = 0.75 0.03 180

increase with the La cation doping up to a maximum value of the 3% concentration. For the 5% 

doping of La, the pyroelectric properties diminish. The results are illustrated in table 9.

Table 9. FOMs of SBN samples at 40 °C.124

Sample

Fi=p

(mC/cm2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(mC/cm2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(mC/cm2K)

LSBN-1% La 1×10–4 850 11.8 –

LSBN-3% La 1.5×10–4 1,100 13.6 –

LSBN-5% La 6×10–5 530 11.3 –

Chen et al. investigated the Sr0.6Ba0.4Nb2O6 films fabricated on Si and fused silica substrates prepared by the sol-gel method. The p at room temperature was found to be 2×10–8 C/

cm2K at 27 °C, which is in the same order of magnitude as that of the SBN single crystals.125

 Venet et al. fabricated textured SBN (SrxBa1–xNb2O6) ferroelectric ceramics with x=0.53 

and 0.63 by the hot forging method.126 Table 10 summarizes the Fi

, FV, and FD values for SBN 

textured ceramics. It can been seen that SBN53/47 ceramic, in the perpendicular direction with 

respect to the forging axis, has the third highest Fi

 value, indicating its potential in the fabrication 

of fast-pulse pyroelectric devices

Table 10. Physical properties and FOMs of textured SBN ferroelectric ceramics.126

Ceramic

Fi=p

(10–4 C/m2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(10–4 C/m2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(10–4 C/m2K)

SBN53/47 HF (┴) 5.1 980 0.0052 1.2

SBN53/47 HF ( ║) 4.0 468 0.0085 2.63

SBN63/37 HF (┴) 2.3 4,579 0.0005 0.18

SBN63/37 HF ( ║) 0.67 1,412 0.00047 0.12

SBN53/47 HF (┴): Parallel to pressing axis. 

SBN53/47 HF ( ║): Perpendicular to pressing axis.
44

4.2.6 Lead Magnesium Niobate-Lead Titanate 

Lead Mg niobate-PT (PMN-PT) ((1–x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-xPbTiO3) relaxor-based single 

crystals have rhombohedral symmetry at x≤0.3, tetragonal symmetry at x≥0.35, and the morphotropic symmetry at 0.3<x<0.35. PMN-PT, a new generation of single crystals, has been widely 

investigated due to excellent dielectric, piezoelectric, and optical properties of the crystals; however, 

few investigations have reported on their pyroelectric performance.127–136 Table 11 demonstrates 

some of the noteworthy pyroelectric properties and calculated FOMs of these materials. 

Table 11. Physical properties and FOMs of PMN-PT samples.127–136

Crystals

Fi

=p

(10–4 C/m2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(10–4 C/m2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(10–4 C/m2K)

PMN-0.13PT <111> direction poled 32.6 3,107 0.01 10.18

PMN-0.21PT <111> direction poled 17.9 961 0.018 10.59

Fe-doped PMN-0.38PT 584×10–6 310 – –

PMN.29PT 12.8 515 0.024 7.1

Mn-PMN-0.29PT 16.2 688 0.023 27.9

4.2.7 Organic Pyroelectrics

In this section, the properties of polymers used in PIR detectors are discussed briefly.

4.2.7.1 Polyvinylidene Fluoride. With the discovery of pyroelectric responses in PVDF and 

polyvinyl fluoride (PVF), a new area of organic materials research for their use in PIR detecting 

devices has come to light. PVDF is inherently polar. The hydrogen atoms are positively charged 

and the fluorine atoms are negatively charged with respect to the carbon atom in the unit, such as 

the repeat unit of (-CH2-CF2-) or (CH2CF2)n, in which the carbon-hydrogen and the electrically 

polar carbon-fluorine bonds can take up a number of stable configurations determined by the 

polymer’s treatment. PVDF can be crystallized into at least four different polymorphous phases, 

depending upon film preparation conditions. 

Two important forms I or β and II or α are of importance. In the α form, PVDF is nonpiezoelectric (which is formed from slow-cooled melts or acetone solution), the bonds are in a 

trans-gauche-trans-gauche configuration, and molecules stack to give a nonpolar unit cell. The 

α form can be converted into the β form by stretching and electrically poling with a suitable field. 

In the β form, the molecular groups are in an all-trans configuration and the molecules are assembled to give a polar unit cell. Form β is orthorhombic, point group Amm2, and z=2 Å, a=8.47 Å, 

b=4.9 Å, and c=2.56 Å. The density is 1.76 M/gm3.

137 This form of PVDF is pyroelectric and 

its basic physical properties are presented in table 12. 
45

Table 12. Material characteristics and FOMs of P(VDF-TrFE).

Material

Fi

=p

(nC/cm2K) ε ́

FV =p/ε ́

(nC/cm2K)

FD = p ε ′′

(nC/cm2K)

P(VDF-TrFE) 50/50 4 18 0.2 5.06

P(VDF-TrFE) 56/44 3.8 12 0.3 7

P(VDF-TrFE) 70/30 5.5 8 0.68 20

P(VDF-TrFE) 75/25 3.3 7.4 0.4 9.4

P(VDF-TrFE) 80/20 3.1 7 0.44 9.1

PVF2 3 10 0.3 6.8

Recently, in parallel with the findings of PVDF, the polymers of VDF-TrFE have been 

found to be ferroelectric. Like PVDF, the VDF-TrFE copolymer consists of crystalline and an 

amorphous fraction. Unlike PVDF, the introduction of a small amount of TrFE causes the 

copolymer to crystallize directly into the β phase from melt. The VDF-TrFE copolymer is therefore 

made to be pyroelectric without stretching, as with PVDF. The electrical and physical properties 

of PVDF and the 65/35 VDF-TrFE copolymer are similar, as shown in table 12.138

A comparison of often-used thin-film ferroelectrics shows that the application of P(VDFTrFE) in low-cost sensors can be advantageous although the FOMs are lower. For instance, a 

copolymer film can be easily deposited onto a Si wafer in postprocessing after readout circuit fabrication by spin coating of a copolymer solution. Furthermore, the very low thermal conductivity 

provides good thermal insulation between the pyroelectric film and readout circuitry. The chosen 

P(VDF-TrFE) with a molar content of 70% VDF shows a spontaneous polarization of 8 μC/cm2

and a p of 3.5 nC/cm2K, a dielectric constant of 8, and a dielectric loss of about 0.018 at 25 °C. 

The investigation proved the suitability of the copolymer for use in pyroelectric sensors and 

arrays.139 Production of thin-poled films is inexpensive and simple. The properties are comparable 

to often-used LT sensors. The authors’ results will enable relatively simple integration of sensor 

chip and readout circuits. On the basis of the film technology developed, the realization of twodimensional arrays is also possible. In the recent past, several other polymers have been using 

molecular engineering that exhibit a pyroelectric response.140,141

4.2.8 Pyroelectric-Polymer Composites

Pyroelectric-polymer composites can be considered an established substitute to conventional 

electroceramics and to ferroelectric polymers. The composites have a unique blend of polymeric 

properties such as mechanical flexibility, high strength, formability, and low cost with high electroactive properties of ceramic materials. 

The composites contain two or more chemically different materials or phases. In these 

materials, it is possible to tailor electrical and mechanical properties catering to a variety of 

applications. Recent studies on ceramic-polymer-based pyroelectric composites show potential 

usefulness via large-area, lightweight, enhanced-strength, and flexible IR sensing elements. Thus, 

composites based on pyroelectric ceramic particles embedded in polymer possess hybrid properties 
46

derived from individual components. These hybrid properties include large p of ceramic material 

and excellent mechanical strength, formability, and robustness of the polymer, eventually useful for 

IR detectors without the use of a substrate. An overview of the theory, models to predict dielectric 

behavior and p and fabrication techniques of biphasic composites, and a review of the latest work 

can be found in reference 142.

The dielectric and p on TGS-PVDF composites with different proportions of TGS have 

been investigated.143 It was found that the variation of dielectric coefficients and p with temperature for composites were as reported for TGS single crystals. Furthermore, it was reported that 

with 50 wt. % of TGS particles in the composite, the FOM is the largest. It was also shown that the 

D* value of detectors made out of a TGS composite reaches up to (5–7)×107 cm Hz1/2/W. Wang 

et al.144 investigated the 45- to 75-μm TGS particles of different volume fractions (up to 80% volume fraction) dispersed in organic solvent for the preparation of films using the solution casting 

technique. It was observed that the p increased to 90 μC/m2K and FV to 3.3 with 80% volume of 

TGS particles. 

A novel technique has been used in the fabrication of LATGS-PVDF-oriented film.145

A high electric field was applied during preparation of the film. It was also reported that LATGSPVDF with the highest field grains get oriented to the b-axis when the field is increased perpendicular to the b-axis. With a field of 10 kV/cm, better results for dielectric constant ≈10 and 

p ≈30 μC/m2K at about 30 oC have been reported. Recently, Yang et al. performed an extensive and 

noteworthy study on TGS:P(VDF-TrFE) composites with various volume fractions (0.05–0.43) of 

TGS embedded in P(VDF-TrFE).146 The p varied from 32 to 102 μC/m2K. The dielectric constant 

increased from 9.66 to 12.27 while the dielectric loss decreased from 0.021 to 0.008. The two phases 

of samples were poled in the same direction, in which the p is reinforced while the piezoelectric 

contribution partially cancels out. The low piezoelectric activity in the pyroelectric composite is an 

asset, as it reduces the vibration-induced noise. TGS:P(VDF-TrFE) is a good candidate for a sensing element in PIR detecting devices.

The detailed study on the pyroelectric and piezoelectric properties of PT-P(VDF-TrFE) 

composites gave the maximum value of p, with 54% volume fraction of the particles.147 The p and 

dielectric constant were 40.7 μC/m2K and 57.3, respectively, which gives a value of 0.71 for the 

FOM. However, the maximum value of FOM (0.92) for a composite having 49% volume fractions 

was obtained when only the ceramic phase was poled. When both phases were poled, the p and 

dielectric constant were 69.2 μC/m2K and 55, respectively, which gives the FOM value of 1.24. 

The pyroelectric properties of PT-P(VDF-TrFE) 0-3 nanocomposite films fabricated using 

various volume fractions of ceramic particles about 70 nm in size have been investigated by Chen 

et al.148 They could only fabricate films with up to a volume fraction of 12% due to the problem of 

agglomeration. The films were prepared by the spin-coating method on aluminum-coated glass. All 

the FOMs (FI

, FV, and FD) reported by them showed an increase with an increase of volume fraction of PT ceramic particles. The results obtained for pyroelectric properties are shown in figure 15. 

It was concluded that p of the composite with 12% volume fraction of PT was 40% higher than 

that of the polymer. 
47

110

100

90

80

70

60

50

40

30

10 20 30 40 50

Temperature (°C)

p (10–6 C/m2 K)

Φ=0.120 Φ=0.116

Φ=0.073

Φ=0.034

Φ=0

Figure 15. Pyroelectric coefficients of the composite films with various volume fractions 

of ceramic (φ) PT as a function of temperature.148

A D* of 1.2×107 cm Hz1/2/W has been achieved in composite films of ((Pb0.8Ca0.2) 

TiO3:P(VDF-TrFE)) prepared using the appropriate amount of ceramic particles having sizes 

<100 nm.149 The values obtained for dielectric coefficients and p by Zhang et al.150 for nanocrystalline Ca (0.11%)-modified PT (PCLT) are presented in table 1. The FV and FD exhibit maxima 

around 0.11% volume fraction of PCLT nanoparticles. The FOMs were 35% higher than the 

poled copolymer. A noteworthy study was performed on thin film deposited on Si substrate consisting of 12% volume of nanosized La and Ca modified PT embedded in a P(VDF-TrFE) 70/30 

matrix to form pyroelectric sensors with three different configurations. The maximum specific 

D* (1.3×107 cm Hz1/2/W (at 1 kHz), 2.11×107 cm Hz1/2/W (at about 300 Hz), and 2.8×107 cm 

Hz1/2/W (between 5 and 100 Hz), respectively) were reported. Authors suggested that sensors 

fabricated with PCLT/P(VDF-TrFE) nanocomposites have the potential to be used in Si-based 

pyroelectric sensors.151

Specific D* of 4.2×106 and 3.4×107 cm Hz1/2/W of film of PCLT/P(VDF-TrFE) have been 

obtained on a porous Si and plastic (PET) substrate, respectively.152 This specific D* was found to 

be one to two orders of magnitude higher than that of the sensor on bulk Si substrate fabricated 

under similar conditions. The values for FV, p, and dielectric constant obtained were 3.74 μC/m2K, 

56.5 μC/m2K, and 11, respectively. Lam et al. used thermoplastic elastomer, polyurethane (PU) in 

fabricating a 0-3 composite with PZT.153 It was found that, with a 30% volume fraction of PZT, the 

value of p at room temperature, was found to be 90 μC/m2K. It was more than tenfold higher than 

the PZT:PVDF composite with the same volume fraction of ceramic. It was concluded that a large 

electrical conductivity may enhance the pyroelectricity in composites. 
48

Recently, thick films of 0-3 composites of PZT ceramic and P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers have 

been produced by spin coating on an Au-coated Si wafer.154 A p of 92 μC/m2K has been measured 

for composites with 20% volume ceramic. For the composites with 10% and 20% volume ceramic, 

voltage and current FOMs are higher than PZT thick films.

Lithium tantalate ceramic particles have been incorporated into a P(VDF-TrFE) 70/30 

mol. % copolymer matrix to form composite films. The films were prepared using a solvent casting 

method with the LT powder homogeneously dispersed in the P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer matrix with 

various volume fractions. Electrical properties such as the dielectric constant, dielectric loss, and 

p have been measured as a function of temperature and frequency. In addition, materials’ FOMs 

have also been calculated to assess their use in IR detectors. The results show that the fabricated 

LT:P(VDF-TrFE) composite films have a good potential for uncooled IR sensor applications 

operating at moderate temperatures.155

4.2.9 Other Pyroelectric Materials

4.2.9.1 Aluminum Nitride. Fuflyigin et al. studied pyroelectric properties of high-quality 

(001) aluminum nitride (AlN) films grown on (111) Si substrates.156 In these films, the polar axis, 

<0001>, is oriented perpendicular to the film’s plane. The value of p was in the range of 6 to 8 μC/

m2K, yielding an FV of 0.8–0.95. The p was independent of temperature and applied bias. Leakage 

current as low as (1–2)×10–9 A/cm2 was measured at 5 V on large-area devices. These results indicate that AlN films can be good candidates for pyroelectric thin-film devices.

4.2.9.2 Gallium Nitride. The wurtzite gallium (Ga) nitride (GaN) is a natural pyroelectric 

with pyroelectric polarization in the direction of the c-axis. Bykhovski et al. reported the pyroelectric properties of an n-type GaN film deposited over a basal plane sapphire substrate.157 The pyroelectric voltage reported by them was of the order of 104 V/mK, which is comparable to that of the 

pyroelectric ceramics such as PZT or BT.

4.2.9.3 Zinc Oxide. Zinc oxide (ZnO) is a unique material that exhibits semiconducting, 

piezoelectric, and pyroelectric multiple properties.158 The p are as follows:

• Primary p: –6.8 μC/m2K.

• Secondary p: –2.5 μC/m2K.

• Total p: –9.4 μC/m2K.
49

5. Unique And Innovative Techniques Demonstrated for Improving

Performance of Pyroelectric Infrared Sensors

Enhancing the D* and thermal resolution of a pyroelectric-type detector is still a main 

challenge besides developing new ferroelectric thin films and designing advanced architecture. The 

following unique techniques for enhancing the performance of PIR detectors are being explored. 

It has been demonstrated that R can be increased many fold by incorporating these techniques.

5.1 Multilayer Structures

The Alexe and Pintile thermal analysis of a pyroelectric bimorph structure, performed for a 

sinusoidally modulated heat flow, reveals the possibility of obtaining a larger signal than in the case 

of a homogeneous pyroelectric structure.159 The ratio between the signal generated from a bimorph 

structure and the signal generated from a homogeneous structure, in the same conditions, depends 

on the material properties and on the modulation frequency. This ratio, computed for a particular 

bimorph, is up to 4:1 at 1,000 Hz. The main conclusion of the above discussion is that, in certain 

conditions, the signal generated by a pyroelectric bimorph structure could be greater than the signal generated by a homogeneous pyroelectric detector made from only one of the two materials of 

the bimorph. The thermal analysis of the ratio between the signal generated by the bimorph structure and the signal generated by the homogenous structure (made for the extreme cases on the heat 

sink and suspended) of a given pair of materials and for a given range of frequencies suggests that 

it is possible to design a pyroelectric bimorph structure that generates a signal higher than a homogeneous pyroelectric structure made from only one of the two component materials.

Lang and Alexe made theoretical and experimental studies of pyroelectric bimorph radiation detectors.160 The bimorphs consisted of two thin layers on a substrate, the upper one having 

a large p and a large ε and the lower one having a smaller p and a smaller ε. The incident radiation 

is absorbed in the electrode on the upper layer. If the radiation is modulated at a sufficiently high 

frequency, the thermal waves that are produced will partially penetrate the lower layer so that the 

effective p will be dominated by that of the upper layer of the bimorph. However, the capacitance 

of the bimorph will be the series combination of the two layers and will be lower than that of 

either of them. This gives an RV that is larger than that of either of the two layers used alone. The 

analysis was verified experimentally using a PLZT (12/30/70)/PZT (30/70) bimorph. The design of 

a PLZT (8/35/65)/LT bimorph was simulated. The calculated RV was more than 100 times that of 

a PLZT (8/35/65) monomorph having the same thickness. A pyroelectric bimorph IR detector with 

RV much higher than that of a monomorph can be constructed. The theory was experimentally 

verified by tests of a PLZT (12/30/70)/PZT (30/70) bimorph. A much improved design of PLZT 

(8/35/65)/LT was studied in simulation calculations. The calculations showed that a bimorph could 

be made that would have an RV that is more than one hundredfold greater than that of a monomorph of the same thickness.
50

High-quality multilayer (ML) ferroelectric thin films based on erbium (Er)-doped PT 

Pb(1–x)1.1ErxTi1–x/4O3 (PErT) where x=0.05 and Pb1.1(Zr0.58Fe0.2Nb0.2Ti0.02)O3 (PZFNT) have 

been processed via chemical solution deposition on textured (111) Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates.161 The 

dielectric, ferroelectric, and pyroelectric properties have been characterized. It is shown that the 

ML film exhibits the relaxor-type behavior found for pure PZFNT, and that its transition temperature of 310 °C at 1 kHz lies between those of PErT and PZFNT. The dielectric constant of 

520 also lies between those of PErT and PZFNT. The ferroelectric properties are considerably 

improved over those of the monomorph films. An unusually high p of about 620 μC/m2K was 

obtained from measurements of the temperature dependence of the remnant polarization between 

30 and 80 °C. The voltage and current responses, measured using a modulated near-IR laser, could 

be improved by two to three orders of magnitude over those of PZFNT. The thermal time constant 

(τT) obtained is found to be three orders of magnitude lower than the electrical time constant (τE) 

and indicates that the high thermal conduction rate in the substrate determines the detector R. 

In conclusion, the present work shows that it is possible to tune the dielectric properties 

of ferroelectric thin films through a proper choice of heterostructures. The FOM for pyroelectric 

applications can be considerably improved via the use of ML thin films. A poling of the film is not 

necessary due to self-polarization. High output voltages and currents can be achieved despite the 

transparency of the films and the use of thick platinized Si substrates. In this respect, the response 

of the film is expected to improve via the use of micromachined detector elements.

Ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3/PT ML thin films are fabricated by the sol-gel method.162

The properties of PZT/PT ML thin films with different PZT and PT layer stacking structures have 

been systematically studied. All the films are dense and smooth with a single perovskite phase. 

“Pinched” ferroelectric hysteresis loops are found for ML thin films. The dielectric constant of an 

ML thin film decreases when the PT volume fraction increases. The dielectric loss of 5PZT/4PT 

ML thin film is comparable to that of pure PZT; however, all the other ML thin films show much 

higher dielectric loss. When compared to the pure PZT thin film, the 5PZT/4PT ML film has a 

comparable p, reduced dielectric constant, and comparable dielectric loss. Therefore, the 5PZT/4PT 

thin film shows higher pyroelectric FD* (2.1×10–5 Pa–1/2), which is found to be better than pure 

PZT thin film and is a promising material structure for pyroelectric application.

Sun et al. did a comparison study on sol-gel prepared Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)O3 and Pb(Zr0.3Ti0.7)

O3/PT ML thin films for PIR detectors and found PZT/PT to be a promising candidate for IR 

detectors due to the reduced dielectric constant of an ML structure.163

5.2 Compositionally Graded Structures

Compositionally graded ferroelectric devices (GFDs) such as those formed from KTN164

and BST165 have recently been shown to demonstrate a whole new pyroelectric phenomenon. 

Effective p as large as 5 μC/cm2K with peak R at approximately 50 °C have also been reported for 

compositionally graded BaSr ferroelectric thin-film devices formed on Si using unbalanced magnetron sputter deposition.166 These effective p are nearly two orders of magnitude larger than those 

observed from conventional pyroelectric thin-film ferroelectric detectors.167,168
51

Tang et al. prepared a compositionally graded structure of Pb(ZrxTi1–x)O3 (PZT) thin films 

with Zr:Ti ratios from 10:90 to 40:60 grown on PbZrO3-buffered Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by a 

simple sol-gel process.169 The structure, surface morphology, and dielectric properties of the graded 

PZT films were measured by XRD, field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Auger electron 

spectroscopy, and by using an impedance analyzer. The results showed that the graded PZT films 

on PbZrO3-buffered Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates have a preferred (111) orientation. At 100 Hz, the 

dielectric constant and dissipation factor of the graded PZT film are 255 and 0.032, respectively. 

The p of compositionally graded PZT film was measured by a dynamic technique. At 25 °C, the 

p value of the graded PZT film is 349 μC/m2K and the FD* is 16.4×10–6 Pa–0.5 at 100 Hz.

The typical small-signal dielectric constant and dissipation factor of the graded film at a 

frequency of 100 Hz were 255 and 0.032, respectively. At room temperature, the p and FD* of the 

graded PZT film were 349 μC/m2K and 16.4×10–6 Pa–0.5, respectively. These results make these 

materials useful for pyroelectric sensors.

Tang et al. also reported the compositionally graded (Pb1–xCax)TiO3 (PCT) thin films 

of x=0 and 24 mol. % were fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by using a modified sol-gel 

process.170 The final structure consists of two-layer, upgraded films starting from PT on the Pt 

electrode to the top PCT(24) layer; whereas, films with the opposite gradient are called downgraded films. Highly (100)-oriented, graded PCT thin films have been obtained when the graded 

PCT thin films were annealed at 600 °C. At 100 kHz, the dielectric constants were 79 and 128, 

respectively, for the upgraded and downgraded PCT films. The p of the graded films was measured by a dynamic technique. At room temperature, the values of p and FD* of the upgraded and 

downgraded PCT films are 95 μC/m2K and 9.1×10–6 Pa–0.5 and 112 μC/m2K and 8.6×10–6 Pa–0.5, 

respectively.

In conclusion, compositionally graded PCT thin films were grown on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by using a modified sol-gel technique with a high degree of preferred orientation (100) in 

the a-axis direction. At 100 kHz, the relative ε and dissipation factors for the upgraded and downgraded PCT films were 79 and 0.025 and 129 and 0.024, respectively. At room temperature, the p

of the upgraded and downgraded PCT films were 95 and 112 μC/m2K, respectively. The FD* of the 

upgraded and downgraded PCT films were 9.1×10–6 and 8.6×10–6 Pa–0.5, respectively. The results 

make these materials useful for pyroelectric sensors.

5.3 Pyroelectric Heterostructures

Tipton et al. have observed enhanced pyroelectric response in sub-100-nm, epitaxialheterostructure films of Pb-Zr-Ti-O contacted with conducting perovskite oxide top and bottom 

electrodes.171 The enhancements are obtained in capacitors where the bottom electrode is processed 

under reducing conditions. This leads to an asymmetric, temperature-dependant internal field that 

is produced within the ferroelectric capacitance and manifests itself as a strongly shifted ferroelectric hysteresis loop. Because the shifted coercive voltage lies near the unbiased operating point, the 

pyroelectric film has a large value of dP/dE. The product (dP/dE)(dE/dT) gives rise to an enhanced 

pyroelectric response. This effect is due to introducing oxygen vacancies into the bottom electrode. 

Their data show that an increase in the pyroelectric response of 10 to 30 times can be obtained 

from symmetric devices, with a concomitant improvement of sensing FD* by three times.
52

Infrared detectors consisting of thin-film PZT/YBa2Cu3O7–x oxide-heterostructures have 

been fabricated.172 The yttrium (Y) BaCu oxide (YBCO) thin film used as the bottom conductive 

electrode significantly increases the performance of a PIR detector. A D* of ≈108 cm Hz1/2/W at 

room temperature has been obtained for simple heterostructure device configurations in the IR 

wavelength range of 1 to 20 μm. Reactive ion etching (RIE) has been used to etch the YBCO and 

the other oxide layers for the development of an air-bridge structure that further reduces thermal 

mass and increases the operation frequency of the IR detector. Mn- and Sb-doped PZT (MSPZT)/

YBCO heterostructures were epitaxially grown on Y-stabilized Zr (YSZ)/Si and Li aluminum oxide 

(LAO) Pb(Zr,Ti)O3/YBCO substrates for IR pyroelectric detectors. The p of MSPZT thin films in 

the heterostructures was ≈80 nC/cm2K, and a D* of ≈108 cm Hz1/2/W was achieved for the simple 

MSPZT/YBCO flat detectors. The heterostructure detector with an air bridge showed a three times 

higher IR photoresponse at a chopper frequency of 30 Hz.

Xu et al.173 explored new MSPZT/YBa2Cu3O7–y (MSPZT/YBCO) heterostructure fabricated on Si substrate with a YSZ buffer layer by pulsed laser deposition for high-performance, 

uncooled IR red detectors. This structure resulted in high FOMs.

5.4 Introduction of Nanoporosity

Suyal and Setter successfully deposited PZT thin, porous film by the sol-gel process with 

the addition of a polymer as a volatile phase.174 Choosing a polymer of different molecular 

weight and concentration of polymer can control the pore size. They found the dielectric constant to be strongly dependant on porosity, while p changed moderately. In a PZT film, the relative ε can be decreased from 150 to 95 with a Zr:Ti ratio of 45:55 and 15:85, respectively. For PZT 

(Zr:Ti=45:55), the FV and FD values increased from 0.28 to 1 μC/m2K and 38 to 80 μC/m2K, 

respectively; whereas, for PZT (Zr:Ti=15:85), these values increased from 0.88 to 1.95 μC/m2K 

and 79 to 139 μC/m2K, respectively, by porous microstructure. This enhancement in values is due 

to the reduction of relative ε by forming matrix-void composites. Similarly, in PbCa1–xTiO3 (PCT), 

FV and FD were shown to be 4.8 and 250 μC/m2K, respectively.175

5.5 Other Techniques

Shaulov proposed a broadband thermal detector based on pyroelectric materials with 

temperature-dependent electrical conductivity.176 This detector combines the properties (notably 

the frequency response) of a thermistor bolometer and a pyroelectric detector. He demonstrated 

that a suitable choice of the detector parameters provides a uniform frequency response above and 

below the thermal relaxation frequency. Acting simultaneously as a thermistor and as a pyroelectric 

detector, the pyroelectric thermister bolometer (PTB) combines the advantages of both detectors. 

Specifically, in the PTB, the thermistor component provides the low-frequency response while the 

pyroelectric component provides the high-frequency response. As a result, a flat-frequency response 

can be obtained over a broad band. The characteristic cited above was demonstrated with a PTB 

made of a Cu3B7O13Cl crystal.
53

Lehman et al. proposed a large-area, domain-engineered pyroelectric radiometer with high 

spatial and high spectral response uniformity that is an excellent primary transfer standard for 

measurements in the near- and mid-IR wavelength regions.177 The domain engineering consisted 

of inverting the spontaneous polarization over a 10-mm-diameter area in the center of a uniformly poled, 15.5×15.5-mm-square, 0.25-mm-thick LN plate. Gold-black was used as the optical 

absorber on the detector surface, and an aperture was added to define the optically sensitive detector area. The results indicate significantly reduced acoustic sensitivity without the loss of optical 

sensitivity. The detector noise equivalent power was not exceptionally low but was nearly constant 

for different acoustic backgrounds. 

In addition, the detector’s spatial response uniformity variation was less than 0.1% across 

the 7.5-mm-diameter aperture, and reflectance measurements indicated that the Au-black coating 

was spectrally uniform within 2%, from 800 to 1,800 nm. The domain-engineered pyroelectric radiometer is the only alternative compared with mercury (Hg) Cd tellurium (Te) (HgCdTe), indium 

antimony (InSb) photoconductors, or commercially available pyroelectric detectors capable of 

measurement uncertainty of the order of 0.1%. The primary role of the radiometer was to extend 

and improve the National Institute of Standards and Technology spectral R scale from the visible 

to the near-IR wavelength range.

Nakamura and Itagaki proposed a new structure that consists of interdigital electrodes 

deposited on periodic inverted domains of a ferroelectric crystal.178 Since only a shallow region 

close to the crystal surface is pyroelectrically active in this structure, the surface charges are quickly 

induced in response to IR irradiation and this structure therefore provides a high R. A pyroelectric 

detector fabricated using periodic antipolar domains formed by selective proton exchange and subsequent heat treatment of an LT crystal is experimentally demonstrated to exhibit a high current 

R in the high-frequency range of IR power modulation. It was also recommended that, since only 

a shallow region just below the irradiated surface serves actively as a pyroelectric material in this 

detector, it is expected that a higher R would be obtained by decreasing the periods of the domains 

and interdigital electrodes.

Recently, enhanced ferroelectric and pyroelectric properties have been demonstrated 

in trilayered bismuth (Bi) La titanate/sodium (Na) Bi titanate/Bi La titanate (BLT/NBT/BLT) 

and PZT/NBT/PZT thin films fabricated on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates by chemical solution 

deposition.179
54

6. Applications of Pyroelectric Detectors

The applications of uncooled PIR detectors are described in references 180 and 181. These 

applications consist of air quality monitor, atmospheric temperature measurement, Earth position 

sensor, Earth resources, engine analysis, fire alarm, gas analyzer, glass processing, horizon sensor, 

IR detection, IR spectrometer, interferometer, interplanetary probe, intrusion detector, laser detection, laser-power control, liquid-fuel analysis, meteorology, plasma analysis, plastic processing, 

pollution detection, position sensor, radiometer, reflectance measurements, remote sensing, sky 

radiance, solar cell studies, human sensors, forest fire detection, pyroelectric vidicons, ear thermometer, terahertz detection, biomedical imaging, satellite-based IR detection at 90 K, optical wave 

guide studies, x-ray detector, microwave detector, facial recognition, traffic control, vision testing, 

law enforcement, and border patrol.
55

7. Pyroelectric Detectors for NASA Applications

Uncooled pyroelectric detectors are used for astrophysical, astronomical, and cosmological 

applications. Pyroelectric detectors are one of many different types of IR radiation detectors. The 

pyroelectric detectors are of interest for long-term space use because they do not require cooling 

during operation. They can also detect at very long wavelengths and they have a relatively flat spectral response.

These PIR detectors are very beneficial to space astrophysics, Earth observations from 

space, and deep space exploration. NASA’s commitment to air pollution monitoring and thermal 

mapping of the Earth, which includes the remote sensing of aerosols and limb scanning IR radiometer projects, requires photodetection in the 6- to 20-μm region of the spectrum. The HgCdTe 

detectors that are presently used in these wavelengths must be cooled to 50–80 K. The cryogenic 

systems required to achieve these temperatures are large, complex, and expensive. Pyroelectric 

detectors can detect radiation in the 1- to 100-μm region while operating at room temperature. This 

makes the pyroelectric detector a prime candidate to fill NASA’s thermal IR detector requirements.

The photopolarimeter-radiometer (PPR) experiment can be designed to measure the linear 

polarization and intensity of reflected sunlight and the intensity of thermally emitted IR radiation 

from satellites using a pyroelectric detector.

For Earth horizon sensing applications, PIR detectors can also be used for the following:

• Land-use monitoring.

• Detection of hot events: Volcanic eruptions, fires, hot springs, etc.

• Pollution monitoring.

• Investigation of atmospheric phenomena and processes.

• Thermal imaging.

• Spectrometry.

• Detection and tracking of aircraft and missiles in flight.

• Meteorology.

• Mineral exploration.

7.1 Pyroelectric Materials for Low-Temperature Infrared Detection Space Applications

Only a few pyroelectrics qualify for use as the active layer of a passively cooled, satellitebased pyroelectric detector and other space applications.181 For example, the temperature on an 

Earth-orbiting satellite, and thus the passively cooled detector’s operating temperature, is around 

90 K. Therefore, the pyroelectric material must display a Tc near 90 K to work in the bolometer 

mode. To allow optimization, ferroelectric solid-solution alloys with composition-dependent Tc

have been explored. An alloy-based pyroelectric detector has the added advantage that one should 
56

be able to easily optimize such a detector for use across a wide temperature range simply by 

changing the alloy composition. Such materials include the following:

• Potassium tantalate niobate (KTN).

• Barium strontium tantalate (BST).

• Lead scandium titanate (PST).

• Sodium tantalate niobate (STN).

• Calcium strontium titanate (CST).

Based on the materials cited above, the compositions having a 77 K Tc are as follows:

• K(Ta0.9Nb0.1)O3.

• (Ba0.1Sr0.9)TiO3.

• Na(Ta0.8Nb0.2)O3.

• (Ca0.1Sr0.9) TiO3.
57

8. Conclusions

An effort has been made to introduce the basic principles governing pyroelectricity and 

ferroelectricity and list important materials that exhibit these properties. The processing and characteristics of important pyroelectric materials (from the viewpoint of their applications) in singlecrystal, ceramic, and thin- and thick-film forms have been described. Enhancing D* and thermal 

resolution of a pyroelectric-type detector is still a main challenge. Besides developing new ferroelectric thin films and designing advanced architecture, unique techniques being explored have also 

been described in this TM. 

It is worth mentioning that the thermal flux data collected by the Galileo net-flux radiometer released toward Jupiter’s surface helped researchers analyze the chemical composition and 

structure of the planet’s atmosphere. The Mars Exploration Rover mission launched in 2003 carried a miniature thermal emission spectrometer to identify minerals by their IR spectrum and 

to collect temperature data. The detector materials used in the space missions have usually been 

DTGS or LT.182

According to Lang, “Pyroelectricity has been known for 24 centuries. There is no reason 

to think the effect will outlive its usefulness anytime soon.”182 Physicists and engineers are likely 

to develop increasingly sensitive pyroelectric devices including using novel techniques. 
58

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Pyroelectric Materials for Uncooled Infrared Detectors: Processing, 

Properties, and Applications

M.D. Aggarwal,* A.K. Batra,* P. Guggilla,* M.E. Edwards,*

B.G. Penn, and J.R. Currie, Jr.

George C. Marshall Space Flight Center

Marshall Space Flight Center, AL 35812

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Washington, DC 20546–0001

Unclassified-Unlimited

Subject Category 25

Availability: NASA CASI (443–757–5802)

*Alabama A&M University, Normal, Alabama

Prepared by Spacecraft and Vehicle Systems Department, Engineering Directorate

M–1273

Technical Memorandum

NASA/TM—2010–216373

pyroelectric infrared detector, pyroelectric materials, ferroelectrics, uncooled detectors, 

ceramic and thick film processing

01–03–2010

UU 88

NASA

U U U

Uncooled pyroelectric detectors find applications in diverse and wide areas such as industrial production; automotive; aerospace applications 

for satellite-borne ozone sensors assembled with an infrared spectrometer; health care; space exploration; imaging systems for ships, 

cars, and aircraft; and military and security surveillance systems. These detectors are the prime candidates for NASA’s thermal infrared 

detector requirements. In this Technical Memorandum, the physical phenomena underlying the operation and advantages of pyroelectric 

infrared detectors is introduced. A list and applications of important ferroelectrics is given, which is a subclass of pyroelectrics. The basic 

concepts of processing of important pyroelectrics in various forms are described: single crystal growth, ceramic processing, polymercomposites preparation, and thin- and thick-film fabrications. The present status of materials and their characteristics and detectors’ 

figures-of-merit are presented in detail. In the end, the unique techniques demonstrated for improving/enhancing the performance of 

pyroelectric detectors are illustrated. Emphasis is placed on recent advances and emerging technologies such as thin-film array devices 

and novel single crystal sensors.

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