Crystal Growth of Triglycine Sulfate Crystals Under 40-GHz Irradiation and the Infrared Detection of their Device Characteristics

Triglycine sulfate (TGS) crystals are pyroelectric crystals that exhibit ferroelectricity in a room-temperature environment. They have application as infrared detector elements. In this study, it was found that irradiation with 40-GHz electromagnetic waves accelerates the growth of TGS crystals, with a growth rate about 2.2 times faster than that without irradiation. This leads to a reduction in process time and therefore crystals that will be used as elements in the production of detectors can be obtained more quickly. The TGS crystals were irradiated with a CO₂ laser at a wavelength of 10.6 μm. The maximum voltage value obtained was about 0.24 V, the photosensitivity was 24.7 V/W, and the noise equivalent power (NEP) was 2.7 × 10⁻⁸ W/Hz^½. In addition, it was confirmed that the sensitivity increased with decreasing area of the crystal. These results show that TGS crystals grown under electromagnetic irradiation can be used as infrared detector elements. Graphical Abstract: (Figure presented.)