Sub-one-hundred-ps pyroelectric detectors are required for laser fusion and fast-time spectroscopy experiments. A Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory program is evaluating commericially available detectors and detector materials to develop a pyroelectric detector capable of fast operation without damage and compatible with the 5-GHz oscilloscope direct access mode of operation. The latter requires approximately 1-V signal levels across 50 Ω. The first phase of this program has been spent in developing a fast detector design. The fall time of the detector is approximately 30 ps, limited by a stray capacitance of 0.14 pf. The rise-time is less than 15 ps. Further improvements in the response time require reducing the stray capacitance. The second phase of this program is to measure the damage threshold of various pyroelectric materials and devices, evaluating several surface treatments and device preparation methods. Some of the materials under consideration include strontium barium niobate, lithium tantalate, lithium niobate and lanthanum-doped lead zirconate. Preliminary results will be presented.

Date Published: 13 November 1980
PDF: 8 pages
Proc. SPIE 0190, Los Alamos Conference on Optics 1979, (13 November 1980); doi: 10.1117/12.957770

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 0190:
Los Alamos Conference on Optics 1979
Donald H. Liebenberg, Editor(s)