Low-cost, 4 × 4 pixels, pyroelectric infrared array device based on flexible composites

The P(VDF-TrFE) and PZT composite materials have the advantages of flexibility, ease of preparation, low cost, and potential for large-scale production. In this paper, a low-cost, 4×4 pixel array-type pyroelectric infrared device based on P(VDF-TrFE)/PZT is prepared. In order to facilitate the interconnection between the sensitive element and readout circuit using the room temperature cured silver paste, the array electrodes are fanned out to the edge of the sensitive element. In addition, insulated grooves are designed and prepared to cut off the physical contact between the adjacent units so that the thermal crosstalk between the adjacent sensitive units in the array can be suppressed. In order to verify the proposed methods, simulations have been done. The simulation results show that, no matter how the thermal excitations are set, the insulated grooves can always suppress the thermal crosstalk. The physical devices have been fabricated and measured, and the results show that the fanned-out electrodes facilitate the interconnection between the array sensitive element and readout circuit; the insulated grooves indeed can suppress the thermal crosstalk and make about a 10% increase in the intensity of output signals. The typical values of <i>D</i>^∗ of 16 sensitive units are about 4.6×10⁷∼5.8×10⁷<i>c</i><i>m</i>×<i>H</i><i>z</i>^1/2×<i>W</i>^-1 at 3 Hz.