Systematic Study of Pyroelectricity. Applications of Pyroelectric Materials.

Full accounts are given of theoretical and experimental studies of ferroelectric phase transitions begun under a previous contract and completed under the present one. The findings of these studies are applied to the analysis of several applications of pyroelectric materials and to the evaluation of the suitability of various ferroelectrics for these uses. A major result is that improper ferroelectrics, in which the polarization is not the order parameter, are predicted to have performance superior to that of proper ferroelectrics in both infrared imaging and thermal-to-electrical energy conversion applications. Experimental evidence is presented supporting this conclusion in the case of the pyroelectric vidicon. Author