We demonstrate the implementation of a thin film pyroelectric array as a detector in an infrared gas spectrometer. The 1 x 50 element array is integrated onto a silicon chip with a sol-gel deposited zirconium modified lead titanate film (PZT) as the pyroelectrically active layer and a submicron membrane for thermal insulation. The spectrometer fitted with this detector covers a spectral range of 1.6 mu m and is capable of simultaneously detecting 15 ppm of CO2 and 200 ppm CO. Limitations of the present setup stem from a not optimized thermal light source and the discrete readout electronics. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.