Survey of the studies concerning the use of PVDF for fabricating infrared detectors

A survey of studies which investigated the industrial application of the Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF) technique is presented. PVDF is usually manufactured into metallized films, and range in thickness from 6 to 40 microns. To characterize the fabrication of infrared detectors, the following tasks are reviewed: theoretical investigations concerning the physical principles; improvements in manufacturing processes by using the PVDF technique on pyroelectric detectors; and technical developments that allowed the fabrication of the first PVDF detectors. The design analysis of a PVDF detector is given. The commercial success of PVDF detectors is a function of its technical competence when compared with other detectors and of its compatibility with industrial requirements.