Mercury cadmium telluride: main semiconductor material of modern IR photoelectronics

Abstract

Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) alloy system attract attention of leading firms in many countries. On the base of MCT have been developed photoconductive and photovoltaic detectors, LWIR and MWIR focal plane arrays (FPA) of various type. More than two thirds of all IR photoelectronics systems use photodetectors on the basis of MCT. In this paper some aspects of the history of MCT development in former USSR during last 40 years are discussed.