Electronic device applications of Langmuir-Blodgett films

This paper provides an overview of current activities aimed at exploiting LB films. However, it concentrates on progress made to date on molecularly engineered pyroelectric materials suitable for use in a practical thermal imager. Such materials possess a temperature dependent spontaneous polarisation and lead to devices which response to a rate of change of temperature rather than to changes of temperature. Therefore, by modulating the incoming infra-red radiation they are capable of operation at ambient temperature. Despite this inherent advantage their full potential has yet to be realised. For applications where both high speed and sensitivity are required, conventional materials have been unsuccessful. This can be attributed partly to the fact they have not been available in very thin film form. For device applications, a thin film geometry is preferred because one can then form a large area imaging device directly on microelectronic amplifying circuits