Pyroelectric Properties of Polyvinylidene Flouride and Its Use for Infrared Detection

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Abstract
It has recently been discovered that the pyroelectric and nonlinear optical properties of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVF2) closely resemble those of a ferroelectric. In this work, we investigate more fully the ``ferroelectric'' behavior of PVF2. Measurements of the pyroelectricproperties and polarization reversal are described. Commercially available PVF2films have been used for radiation detection at 10.6 μm with responsivities of 17 V/W and noise equivalent power (NEP) of 15×10−9 W/Hz1/2 at 100 Hz (0.02‐cm2detector area). Although this NEP is considerably higher than that for other pyroelectric materials, this polymer seems particularly attractive in applications where ultimate detectivity is not required because of the great ease and low cost with which detectorfilms can be constructed in any shape or size.