High sensitivity scanning pyroelectric microscope: Interdigitated comb electrodes and advanced image processing

To observe the pyroelectric response of bio-organic materials, several innovations have been proposed and implemented to push the sensitivity limits of a Scanning PyroElectric Microscope (SPEM). These include the use of noise reducing software, interdigitated comb electrodes instead of parallel plate electrodes and the use of rotating mirrors. Using these suggested techniques, the general performance of a SPEM measurement has been improved and allows the successful study of materials with a naturally weak spontaneous polarization and thus extremely low pyroelectric coefficients.