Invited review article: practical guide for pyroelectric measurements.

The characterization of pyroelectric materials is a necessary stage in the design of a large variety of pyroelectric-based devices ranging from intrusion alarms to IR cameras. The sample configurations and measurement techniques currently in use vary widely and require careful attention in order to avoid artifacts. In this review, we provide a practical guide to the measurement of the pyroelectric coefficient, paying particular attention to the new instrumental possibilities (fast sinusoidally modulated light sources, low impedance broad band current meters, and fast averaging oscilloscopes) that have become available during the last decade. Techniques applicable to bulk specimens, substrate-supported films, and self-supported films are described in detail. The most commonly used procedures are classified according to the type of thermal excitation: continuous ramping, heat pulse, and continuous oscillation. In the appendices, we describe the practical realization of these measurement schemes and provide mathematical descriptions for the extraction of the pyroelectric coefficient from the measured data.

[1]  E H Putley,et al.  A new method of measuring pyroelectric coefficients , 1972 .

[2]  Alexander L. Roytburd,et al.  Enhanced pyroelectric effect in self-supported films of BaTiO3 with polycrystalline macrodomains , 2007 .

[3]  C. B. Sawyer,et al.  Rochelle Salt as a Dielectric , 1930 .

[4]  Dragan Damjanovic,et al.  Pyroelectric properties of (1−x)Pb(Mg1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-xPbTiO3 and (1−x)Pb(Zn1∕3Nb2∕3)O3-xPbTiO3 single crystals measured using a dynamic method , 2004 .

[5]  S. Lang.  Pyroelectricity: From Ancient Curiosity to Modern Imaging Tool , 2005 .

[6]  L. B. Schein,et al.  Electrostatic measurements of unusually large secondary pyroelectricity in partially clamped LiNbO3 , 1978 .

[7]  Jun Hatano,et al.  Compensation for ferroelectric hysteresis loop distortion and its application to phase transition studies , 1992 .

[8]  Igor Lubomirsky,et al.  Amorphous Piezo‐ and Pyroelectric Phases of BaZrO3 and SrTiO3 , 2007 .

[9]  Edward J. Sharp,et al.  Use of low‐frequency sinusoidal temperature waves to separate pyroelectric currents from nonpyroelectric currents. Part II. Experiment , 1982 .

[10]  G. W. Roland,et al.  Erratum: Pyroelectric effect in Tl3AsSe3 , 1973 .

[11]  S. Muensit,et al.  Determination of piezoelectric and pyroelectric coefficients and thermal diffusivity of 1-3 PZT/epoxy composites , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation.

[12]  N. M. Shorrocks,et al.  Lead scandium tantalate for thermal detector applications , 1990 .

[13]  Dragan Damjanovic,et al.  FERROELECTRIC, DIELECTRIC AND PIEZOELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF FERROELECTRIC THIN FILMS AND CERAMICS , 1998 .

[14]  Siegfried Bauer,et al.  Current practice in space charge and polarization profile measurements using thermal techniques , 2003 .

[15]  A. Tagantsev,et al.  Electric polarization in crystals and its response to thermal and elastic perturbations , 1991 .

[16]  Heinz K. Henisch,et al.  Technique for the measurement of pyroelectric coefficients , 1971 .

[17]  L. Eric Cross,et al.  Flexoelectric polarization of barium strontium titanate in the paraelectric state , 2002 .

[18]  Gaojie Xu,et al.  Thermally stimulated currents of Lanthanum metaniobate ceramics , 2009 .

[19]  G. W. Roland,et al.  Pyroelectric effect in Tl3AsSe3 , 1972 .

[20]  D. Long,et al.  Pyroelectric detectors and materials , 1978, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[21]  O. Molter,et al.  Electrical Properties of Sb and Cr -doped PbZrO3-PbTiO3- , 2003 .

[22]  Lucian Pintilie,et al.  Ferroelectric-like hysteresis loop in nonferroelectric systems , 2005 .

[23]  L. B. Schein,et al.  Electrostatic measurements of tertiary pyroelectricity in partially clamped LiNbO3 , 1978 .

[24]  E. H. Putley,et al.  Chapter 6 The Pyroelectric Detector , 1970 .

[25]  Mathieu Chauvet,et al.  All-optical technique to measure the pyroelectric coefficient in electro-optic crystals , 2011 .

[26]  S. Lang,et al.  Method for the Measurement of the Pyroelectric Coefficient, dc Dielectric Constant, and Volume Resistivity of a Polar Material , 1965 .

[27]  A. G. Chynoweth,et al.  Dynamic Method for Measuring the Pyroelectric Effect with Special Reference to Barium Titanate , 1956 .

[28]  S. T. Liu,et al.  Use of effective field theory to predict relationships among ferroelectric parameters , 1976 .

[29]  R. Kepler,et al.  Piezoelectricity, Pyroelectricity, and Ferroelectricity in Organic Materials , 1978 .

[30]  B. R. Holeman,et al.  Sinusoidally modulated heat flow and the pyroelectric effect , 1972 .

[31]  S. T. Liu,et al.  Relationships between pyroelectric and ferroelectric parameters , 1975 .

[32]  A. M. Glass,et al.  Investigation of the Electrical Properties of Sr1−xBaxNb2O6 with Special Reference to Pyroelectric Detection , 1969 .

[33]  R. Byer,et al.  Pyroelectric Coefficient Direct Measurement Technique and Application to a Nsec Response Time Detector , 1972, IEEE Transactions on Sonics and Ultrasonics.

[34]  Kuo-Shung Liu,et al.  PYROELECTRIC PROPERTIES OF (PB1-XLAX)TIO3 THIN FILMS DEPOSITED USING SRRUO3 AS A BUFFER LAYER , 1998 .

[35]  A. Tagantsev,et al.  Piezoelectricity and flexoelectricity in crystalline dielectrics. , 1986, Physical review. B, Condensed matter.

[36]  L. Eric Cross,et al.  On the Flexoelectric Effects in Solid Dielectrics: Theories and Applications , 2007 .

[37]  L. Eric Cross,et al.  Strain-gradient-induced electric polarization in lead zirconate titanate ceramics , 2003 .

[38]  J. Cooper,et al.  Minimum Detectable Power of a Pyroelectric Thermal Receiver , 1962 .

[39]  Philip L. Taylor,et al.  Thermodynamics of pyroelectricity and piezoelectricity in polymers , 1981 .

[40]  R. F. Gouveia,et al.  Detection of charge distributions in insulator surfaces , 2009, Journal of physics. Condensed matter : an Institute of Physics journal.

[41]  Supasarote Muensit,et al.  Pyroelectric Technique for Measurement of Thermal Diffusivity of Thin Solid Materials , 2003 .

[42]  Kuo-Shung Liu,et al.  Influence of Buffer Materials on the Pyroelectric Properties of (Pb0.9La0.1)TiO3 Thin Films , 1998 .

[43]  E. H. Putley,et al.  A method for evaluating the performance of pyroelectric detectors , 1980 .

[44]  Gerhard M. Sessler,et al.  Space-charge electrets , 1996 .

[45]  James F. Scott,et al.  A classroom experiment to demonstrate ferroelectric hysteresis , 2003 .

[46]  Robert L. Byer,et al.  Subnanosecond pyroelectric detector , 1972 .

[47]  S Domanski,et al.  LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Dependence of the Coercive Field of Tri-Glycine Sulphate on Temperature and Frequency , 1958 .