High internal bias fields in tgs (l-alanine)

Triglycine sulphate crystals have been grown with 10-20 times higher L-alanine substitution than those reported pre-viously. The present crystals contain up to 2% L-alanine, show internal bias fields in excess of 80 kV cm-1 and have severely depressed dielectric peaks occurring at up to 62°C. The results show an equivalence of internal and external bias fields and are consistent with theory. The highly biassed crystals are pyroelectric to 100°C. A radiation detector made from such a crystal has a noise equivalent power at 70°C only—2½ times higher than at 20°C whereas earlier crystals with low alanine content are limited in their operation to about 50°C.