Pyroelectric detectors and materials

A survey on point pyroelectric detectors and materials is given. The performance of a practical detector is characterized by the ratio of a response function and a noise function. Material parameters relevant to detector applications are identified and the crystal properties of these parameters are then discussed by the use of equations of state. The noise function is so defined that the performance of the practical pyroelectric detector as a circuit element can be directly examined and assessed with respect to the ideal thermal detector. Under special conditions, this noise function gives rise to four separate figures of merit of pyroelectric detectors. Finally the temperature dependence and the performance limitations of pyroelectric detectors are discussed.