Thin film pyroelectric array as a detector for an infrared gas spectrometer

Abstract

We demonstrate the implementation of a thin film pyroelectric array as a detector in an infrared gas spectrometer. The 1×50 element array is integrated onto a silicon chip with a sol–gel deposited zirconium modified lead titanate film (PZT) as the pyroelectrically active layer and a submicron membrane for thermal insulation. The spectrometer fitted with this detector covers a spectral range of 1.6 μm and is capable of simultaneously detecting 15 ppm of CO 2 and 200 ppm CO. Limitations of the present setup stem from a not optimized thermal light source and the discrete readout electronics.