No abstract

Traditionally, photoconductive (PC) HgCdTe detectors have been used in interferometers for detection in the 14-15 .tm range. In this paper we present recent quantum efficiency and junction impedance data which demonstrate that P-on-n HgCdTe photovoltaic (PV) detectors with 16-17 m cutoff wavelengths at 70 K are suitable for use in spaceborne remote sensing interferometrjc instruments such as IMG-2, ATRAS, TES and CCOSM. The performance of these large-area detectors is of particular importance for interferometers because they have higher linearity at higher fluxes than PC HgCdTe arrays. The linearity requirement of 1% for the IMG-2 instrument, with background fluxes in excess of 1016 ph/cm2-s, is only marginally met by PC HgCdTe detectors. We present, for the first time, data showing better than 1% linearity at fluxes of l.3x10'7 phlcm2-s for PV HgCdTe detectors with 60 K cutoff wavelengths of 15.5 pm.