High performance pyroelectric arrays for imaging and guidance applications

The successful development of a 64-element pyroelectric array detector and its performance in a thermal imager has been described previously. The authors describe a newly developed `improved´ version of this detector in which the detectivity has been enhanced significantly, by using `active´ instead of the conventional `passive´ compensation, for minimising the effects of ramps in ambient temperature. The very techniques which have been employed in the construction of the 64-element detectors to minimise microphony also give a high degree of protection from very high levels of acceleration experienced in some smart weapons applications. This paper describes the principles in greater depth together with the implication for devices intended for guidance applications