Ferroelectric ceramics and thin films for pyroelectric applications

The extensive work carried out at Caswell in recent years on ferroelectric ceramics for pyroelectric applications is reviewed briefly. With the ultimate aim of fully CMOS compatible integrated thermal detectors and imagers, pure and lanthanum doped lead titanate thin films have been deposited using the emerging PVD technique of dual ion beam sputtering (DIBS). The DIBS process produces high quality orientated perovskite films. Films have been formed at 500-600°C onto sapphire. MgO and silicon substrates by sputtering from an adjustable composite PLZT ceramic/Ti and Pb metallic target. Some substrates were coated with platinum/titanium prior to deposition to allow longitudinal electrical measurements to be made on the films. On silicon, the platinum/titanium electrodes were found to blister during the PLZT thin film deposition process. Pure and 7% lanthanum doped lead titanate films have shown pyroelectric effects with coefficients in the range 0.5-4.0 x 10-4 Cm2 K 1 and a figure of merit of 2.6 x 10-5 Pa These results are encouraging with respect to the goal of integrated pyroelectric IR detector arrays on silicon. Further improvements should be possible since the process and substrate/electrode preparation have not yet been fully optimised.