Abstract
The characterization of pyroelectric materials is a necessary stage in the design of a large variety of pyroelectric-based devices ranging from intrusion alarms to IR cameras. The sample configurations and measurement techniques currently in use vary widely and require careful attention in order to avoid artifacts. In this review, we provide a practical guide to the measurement of the pyroelectric coefficient, paying particular attention to the new instrumental possibilities (fast sinusoidally modulated light sources, low impedance broad band current meters, and fast averaging oscilloscopes) that have become available during the last decade. Techniques applicable to bulk specimens, substrate-supported films, and self-supported films are described in detail. The most commonly used procedures are classified according to the type of thermal excitation: continuous ramping, heat pulse, and continuous oscillation. In the appendices, we describe the practical realization of these measurement schemes and provide mathematical descriptions for the extraction of the pyroelectric coefficient from the measured data.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 051101 |
| Journal | Review of Scientific Instruments |
| Volume | 83 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2012 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors wish to acknowledge the Israel – US Binational Science Foundation, Israel Ministry of Science, the fund Pearls of Wisdom, and the Nancy and Stephen Grand Research Center for Sensors and Security for funding this research. This research is made possible in part due to the historic generosity of the Harold Perlman Family. I.L. expresses his appreciation to Dr. Ellen Wachtel of WIS, for a very fruitful discussion.
Funding
The authors wish to acknowledge the Israel – US Binational Science Foundation, Israel Ministry of Science, the fund Pearls of Wisdom, and the Nancy and Stephen Grand Research Center for Sensors and Security for funding this research. This research is made possible in part due to the historic generosity of the Harold Perlman Family. I.L. expresses his appreciation to Dr. Ellen Wachtel of WIS, for a very fruitful discussion.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Israel Ministry of Science | |
| Nancy and Stephen Grand Research Center for Sensors and Security | |
| United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation |