Lead lanthanum zirconate titanate (PLZT) thin films with different La concentrations (x), whose composition is x/40/60, have been grown directly on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si (100) substrates by a modified sol-gel method. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the PLZT thin films are polycrystalline. The infrared optical properties of the PLZT thin films have been investigated using the infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry in the spectral range of 2.5–12.5 μm. By fitting the measured ellipsometric spectra (Ψ andΔ) with a three-phase model (air/PLZT/Pt), and a derived classical dispersion relation for the thin films, the optical constants and thicknesses of the thin films have been obtained. The refractive index of the PLZT thin films decreases with increasing La concentrations, however, the extinction coefficient increases with increasing La concentrations except for the PLZT(4/40/60) thin films. The values of the effective static charge calculated for the PLZT thin films, which state that PLZT belongs to a mixed ionic-covalent compound, decrease with increasing La concentrations. Moreover, the refractive index at the wavelength of 2.5 μm changes linearly with the effective static charge. The plot of the calculated infrared optical absorption versus wavelength for the Ni/PLZT/Pt multilayer structures with various La concentrations is given and indicates that the PLZT thin films are excellent candidates for ferroelectric infrared detectors and focal plane arrays.