REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS 68 (2005) 2267-2336
This article reviews the history, the present status and possible future developments of HgCdTe
ternary alloy for infrared (IR) detector applications. HgCdTe IRdetectors have been intensively
developed since the first synthesis of this material in 1958. This article summarizes the
fundamental properties of this versatile narrow gap semiconductor, and relates the material
properties to its successful applications as an IR photoconductive and photovoltaic detector
material. An emphasis is put on key developments in the crystal growth and their influence on
device evolution. Competitive technologies to HgCdTe ternary alloy are also presented.
Recent advances of backside illuminated HgCdTe heterojunction photodiodes have
enabled a third generation of multispectral instruments for remote sensing applications and
have led to the practicality of multiband IR focal plane array technology. Finally, evaluation
of HgCdTe for room temperature long wavelength IR applications is presented.
