Pyroelectric properties of [111]-oriented Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3-O3-PbTiO3 crystals -: art. no. 082901

The pyroelectric properties of [111]-oriented Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O-3-0.29PbTiO(3) (PMN-0.29PT) crystals have been investigated both as a function of frequency and temperature. At room temperature, [ 111]-oriented crystals have a high pyroelectric coefficient of 12.8 x 10(-4) C/m(2) K and a low thermal diffusivity of similar to 3.7 x 10(-7) m(2)/s. The calculated voltage responsivity and detectivity figures of merit F-v and F-d exceed 0.11 m(2)/C and 9.8 x 10(-5) Pa-1/2, respectively, over a wide range of frequency from 50 to 20000 Hz. The crystals are inert in practical application environment and can be easily processed as well. Such investigation reveals that superior pyroelectric performance makes PMN-0.29PT crystals a promising candidate for uncooled infrared detectors and imagers. (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics.