MOVPE grown (Hg, Cd)Te layers for room temperature operating 3-5 μm photoconductive detectors

Hg_1-xCd_xTe (MCT) is the leading material in IR detection. In the aim of extending the IR application field of MCT, the lowest possible cost is required. A first approach is to minimize the cooling requirements in operating at temperatures >200 K, allowing the use of thermoelectric coolers. Photoconductors in the 3-5 μm wavelength window can be operated in a temperature range higher than photodiodes which must be cooled down to 77 K. The use of substrates such as GaAs, with the possibility of electronic integration and of vapor epitaxial techniques such as MBE and MOVPE, is considered. The authors report on the growth, characterization and detector measurements on MOVPE grown Hg_0.7Cd_0.3Te