Fabrication of a ZnO Pyroelectric Sensor

This paper proposes a two-step radio frequency (RF) sputtering process to form a ZnO film for pyroelectric sensors. It is shown that the two-step sputtering process with a lower power step followed by a higher power step can significantly improve the voltage responsivity of the ZnO pyroelectric sensor. The improvement is attributed mainly to the formation of ZnO film with a strongly preferred orientation towards the c-axis. Furthermore, a nickel film deposited onto the uncovered parts of the ZnO film can effectively improve the voltage responsivity at higher modulating frequencies since the nickel film can enhance the incident energy absorption of the ZnO layer.