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Published on: August 5, 2008
Summary
High-performance mercury cadmium telluride (Hg,Cd)Te photoconductive detectors were developed for Earth observation. These detectors achieve excellent sensitivity and fast response times for multispectral scanning applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Optoelectronics
- Astrophysics
Background:
- The S-192 experiment requires advanced detectors for Earth observation.
- Multispectral scanners need sensitive and fast-response infrared detectors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize high-performance (Hg,Cd)Te photoconductive detectors.
- To evaluate detector suitability for the S-192 multispectral scanner on Skylab.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of (Hg,Cd)Te photoconductive detector arrays using state-of-the-art techniques.
- Performance testing at 87 K with a 90-degree field of view (FOV).
- Measurement of specific detectivity and detective time constants.
Main Results:
- Achieved specific detectivities at 2.35 micrometers close to or greater than 8 x 10^11 cm Hz^(1/2)/W.
- Demonstrated detective time constants less than 1 microsecond.
- Showcased good uniformity in detector performance across arrays.
Conclusions:
- The developed (Hg,Cd)Te detectors meet the stringent requirements for the S-192 experiment.
- These detectors represent a significant advancement in infrared detector technology for space-based Earth observation.
