Applications of pyroelectric materials in array-based detectors

The development of low-cost, uncooled (room temperature operation) thermal detector arrays has been accelerating in recent years and now commercial products are becoming widely available. As costs come down and volumes rise, these devices are entering the consumer marketplace, providing everything from sophisticated security and people-monitoring devices to hand-held thermal imagers for preventative maintenance and building inspection. Two technologies have established significant market shares in uncooled thermal detector array products. These are resistive microbolometers and pyroelectric ceramics. To address the true mass market, the pyroelectric arrays offer significant cost advantage. In this paper, recent developments in a variety of products based on pyroelectric ceramic arrays are described and their performance and applicability are compared and contrasted with competing technologies. This includes the use of low-element-count arrays for applications in people counting and queue measurement, and the drive for cost-effective imaging arrays for mass-market thermal imaging. The technical challenges in materials production, device development, and low-cost manufacture are reviewed and future opportunities and challenges are outlined.