Pyroelectric infrared detectors based on lithium tantalate: state of the art and prospects

This paper gives an overview of the most important results obtained in the development of pyroelectric single-element detectors and arrays (up to 256 responsive elements) at the Institute for Solid-State Electronics at the Dresden University of Technology. Since the late 1970s, the Institute has been carrying out a wide range of research and development work in this area. This work aimed at the development of sensor technologies which allow the construction and cost-efficient manufacturing of long-term stable detectors with a high signal-to-noise ratio. It is shown that a flexible sensor technology has been developed on the basis of lithium tantalate (LiTaO3) which allows to adjust the detector layout and its properties to the planned application in the best possible way. This applies to the number and geometry of the responsive elements and also to the spectral responsitivity, the noise and the spatial resolution of the detectors.