Another advantage of Panasonic’s sensor is that they are able to miniaturize the pyroelectric elements to take up less space than conventional sensors. With the smaller size of the pyroelectric element, the focal distance for the lens can be shortened while keeping the same detection area. This allows the creation of a smaller overall package without having to sacrifice detection angles. Competing PIR devices tend to have thermal crosstalk issues when the temperature differences between the elements are low. To eliminate this issue, Panasonic’s sensor uses a U-shaped slit around each element which provides an insulation barrier and doubles the sensor’s overall sensitivity. The elements of the sensor are constructed of Lithium Tantalate and are made very thin which allows the element to become saturated faster and improves response time compared to conventional sensors which traditionally use a ceramic base material.