Ok, I got ya on the shield and I note that I did not mention that (or know that) in my previous post....but is this an IR filter (see pic)?It is an electrostatic shield, which can improve performance in electrically noisy environments. Note that the shield is connected to the centre lead - "ground". The amplifier internal to the device can operate at very high gain in the absence of an IR signal. Either signal or noise that is "in-band", meaning within the signal frequency range to which the device responds, will cause the gain is reduced by an automatic gain control (AGC) circuit. If noise can be kept out the circuit the gain can be kept high while waiting for an IR signal, allowing response to a weaker signal.
The shield would also add a measure of protection against electrostatic discharge.
Yeah, IR filters can be a big deal in photography - Including both IR pass and IR block. Keep meaning to get some to see what the differences are all about.Yes, the encapsulant will pass IR and block almost all visible light. It saves having to use a separate optical filter. /--/