CO/sub 2/ laser pulse monitoring instrument based on PVDF pyroelectric array

This paper proposes to extend the use of low-cost, pyroelectric, polyvinylidene fluoride four-quadrant arrays, originally devoted to monitoring the beam point stability of CO/sub 2/ laser beams, to the temporal profiling of the same laser pulse providing an instrument that is not commercially available. The advantage of using a single sensor for both types of measurements can be fully exploited if the pyroelectric sensor bandwidth is made almost flat in the typical frequency range (10 Hz-20 kHz) of the signal spectrum generated by a modulated CO/sub 2/ laser. In this paper, we present the design of an active analog compensation filter aimed to improve the reconstruction accuracy of the laser pulses and its circuit implementation with a quad operational amplifier for an easy integration of the compensation filter on the same board hosting the sensor. Experimental results obtained with modulated CO/sub 2/ laser beams, at pulse repetition rates from 10 to 1000 Hz and variable duty cycle, proved accurate in the laser pulse reconstruction with sensitivity of commercial semiconductor HgCdZnTe sensors.     

A Large-Area PVDF Pyroelectric Sensor for CO 2 Laser Beam Alignment

We present the design of a large-area (50 mm times 50 mm) polyvynilidene fluoride (PVDF) pyroelectric sensor array for industrial CO₂ (lambda = 10.6 mum) laser beam positioning. The array dimensions were chosen to match the area typically monitored in the alignment procedure of external optics (beam steering moving arm system, for example) used to redirect the laser beam from the laser output window to a remote working station. The instrument is provided with a tilted, high reflection, ZnSe plate which partially transmits the laser beam onto the sensor array. From positioning simulations with a Gaussian laser intensity profile with a sigma = 3.2 mm standard deviation (equivalent spot size 3sigma cong 20 mm), the positional accuracy along the two orthogonal array dimensions was found to be better than 0.02 mm for an 8 times 8 array and one order of magnitude higher for a 16 times 16 array. The centroid position of a CO₂ industrial laser beam was evaluated by integrating the pyroelectric current for a time comparable to the time duration (100-200 ms) of the laser pulses used in the alignment procedure.     

Curved PVDF airborne transducer

In the application of airborne ultrasonic ranging measurement, a partially cylindrical (curved) PVDF transducer can effectively couple ultrasound into the air and generate strong sound pressure. Because of its geometrical features, the ultrasound beam angles of a curved PVDF transducer can be unsymmetrical (i.e., broad horizontally and narrow vertically). This feature is desired in some applications. In this work, a curved PVDF air transducer is investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Two resonances were observed in this transducer. They are length extensional mode and flexural bending mode. Surface vibration profiles of these two modes were measured by a laser vibrometer. It was found from the experiment that the surface vibration was not uniform along the curvature direction for both vibration modes. Theoretical calculations based on a model developed in this work confirmed the experimental results. Two displacement peaks were found in the piezoelectric active direction of PVDF film for the length extensional mode; three peaks were found for the flexural bending mode. The observed peak positions were in good agreement with the calculation results. Transient surface displacement measurements revealed that vibration peaks were in phase for the length extensional mode and out of phase for the flexural bending mode. Therefore, the length extensional mode can generate a stronger ultrasound wave than the flexural bending mode. The resonance frequencies and vibration amplitudes of the two modes strongly depend on the structure parameters as well as the material properties. For the transducer design, the theoretical model developed in this work can be used to optimize the ultrasound performance.     

聚偏氟乙烯电纺纤维膜的制备及其热释电性能研究

β晶相的聚偏氟乙烯(PVDF)由于具有强压电和热释电特性,被广泛应用在能量收集、红外探测等领域。采用静电纺丝技术制备PVDF纤维,通过SEM以及XRD表征,研究了溶剂组成、溶液浓度和纺丝液供给速度等纺丝参数对PVDF纤维膜形貌和β晶相含量的影响,制备出连续、均匀、直径约600nm的PVDF纤维。另外,测试了PVDF纤维膜对不同调制频率的3.4μm波长红外光的热释电响应特性。     

一种采用PVDF压电薄膜的弯张换能器

提出了一种采用PVDF压电薄膜代替弯张换能器的金属外壳的新型弯张换能器,即一种采用PVDF压电薄膜的弯张换能器。用阻抗分析仪、激光扫描测振仪和水声测量系统分别测量了采用PVDF压电薄膜的弯张换能器的谐振频率、带宽、发送电压响应、水平指向性。通过对比分析实验结果,可以看出该新型换能器与传统换能器一样可以将压电晶堆纵的振动转化为壳体的径向振动。     

An integrated 16/spl times/16 PVDF pyroelectric sensor array

This paper presents a fully integrated PVDF-on-silicon pyroelectric sensor array. The pyroelectric sensor has two main features: a subpixel low noise charge amplifier and a self-absorbing layered structure. The integrated low noise charge amplifier is implemented in a standard CMOS process technology. It is located directly under the sensing structure, maximizing the pixel fill factor. The self-absorbing pyroelectric sensor is a three-layer stack, consisting of a conductive polymer as an absorber layer and front electrode, a thin PVDF film as the pyroelectric material, and a rear metal layer acting as a reflector layer and rear electrode. The manufacture of the pyroelectric sensor array requires five maskless post-CMOS processing steps and is compatible with any n-well, double metal, double polysilicon, CMOS process. The array has an average pixel voltage sensitivity of 2200 V/W at 100 Hz, an NEP of 2.4/spl times/10/sup -11/ W//spl radic/Hz at 100 Hz, and a specific detectivity of 4.4/spl times/10/sup 8/ cm /spl radic/Hz/W at 100 Hz.     

A novel pyroelectric method of determining ultrasonic transducer output power: device concept, modeling, and preliminary studies

This paper describes a new thermally based method of monitoring acoustic output power generated by ultrasonic transducers. Its novelty lies in the exploitation of the pyroelectric properties of a thin membrane of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). The membrane is backed by a thick layer of polyurethane rubber that is extremely attenuating to ultrasound, with the result that the majority of the applied acoustic power is absorbed within a few millimeters of the membrane-backing interface. Through the resultant rapid increase in temperature of the membrane, a voltage is generated across its electrodes whose magnitude is proportional to the rate of change of temperature with respect to time. Changes in the pyroelectric voltage generated by switching the transducer ON and OFF are related to the acoustic power delivered by the transducer. Features of the technique are explored through the development of a simple one-dimensional model. An experimental evaluation of the potential secondary measurement technique is also presented, covering the frequency range 1 to 5 MHz, for delivered powers up to a watt. Predictions of the sensor output signals, as well as the frequency dependent sensitivity, are in good agreement with observation. The potential of the new method as a simple, rapid means of providing traceable ultrasonic power measurements is outlined.     

Transduction mechanisms of the Fabry-Perot polymer film sensing concept for wideband ultrasound detection

The transduction mechanisms of a wideband (30 MHz) contact ultrasound sensor based upon the use of a thin polymer film acting as a Fabry-Perot interferometer have been investigated. Polyethylene terepthalate (PET) sensing elements, illuminated by the free-space collimated output of a wavelength-tunable DBR laser diode, have been used to study the sensor transfer function, sensitivity, the effect of water absorption, and frequency response characteristics. Acoustic performance was evaluated by comparing the sensor output with that of a calibrated PVDF membrane hydrophone using laser-generated acoustic transients as a source of broadband ultrasound. An ultrasonic acoustic phase sensitivity of 0.1 rad/MPa, a linear operating range to 5 MPa, and a noise-equivalent-pressure of 20 kPa over a 25 MHz measurement bandwidth were obtained using a water-backed 50 mum PET sensing film. A model of frequency response that incorporates the effect of an adhesive layer between the sensor film and backing material has been developed and validated for different sensing film thicknesses, backing configurations, and adhesive layer thicknesses.     

Thickness-dependent leakage current of (polyvinylidene fluoride/lead titanate) pyroelectric detectors

The novel pyroelectric IR detectors have been fabricated using the Polyvinylidene Fluoride (PVDF)/Lead Titanate (PT) pyroelectric bilayer thin films, which were deposited onto Pt(111)/SiO/sub 2//Si(100) substrates by a sol-gel process. The ceramic/polymer structure was constructed of the randomly oriented polycrystalline PT film (/spl sim/1 /spl mu/m) heated at 700/spl deg/C for 1 h and the /spl beta/-phase PVDF film crystallized at 65/spl deg/C for 2 h. The effects of PVDF thin film thickness (100 /spl sim/ 580 nm) on the pyroelectric response of IR detectors were studied. The results show that the depositions of PVDF thin films onto the PT films will cause the leakage current (J) of the detectors decrease from 6.37/spl times/10/sup -7/ A/cm/sup 2/ to 3.86/spl times/10/sup -7/ A/cm/sup 2/. The specific detectivity (D*) measured at 100 Hz decreased from 2.72/spl times/10/sup 7/ cm/spl middot/Hz/sup 1/2//W for detector without PVDF to 1.71/spl times/10/sup 7/ cm/spl middot/Hz/sup 1/2//W for detector with PVDF thickness of 580 nm. By optimizing the ratio of the specific detectivity (D*) to leakage current, D*/J, the detector with PVDF thickness of 295 nm exhibits the best performance.     

Investigating Thermal Parameters of PVDF Sensor in the Front Pyroelectric Configuration

A metalized PVDF pyroelectric (PE) sensor was used as an optically opaque sensor and in a thermally thick regime for both sensor and sample, instead of a very thick sensor in the conventional front PE configuration. From the frequency dependence measurements, the normalized amplitude and phase signal were independently analyzed to obtain the thermal effusivity of the sensor. The differential normalized amplitude measured with water as a substrate was analyzed to determine the sensor thermal diffusivity. The PVDF thermal diffusivity and thermal effusivity agree with literature values. Then, from the known thermal parameters of the sensor, the thermal effusivity of a standard liquid sample, glycerol, and other liquids were obtained by the similar procedure.