A 5 mm×5 mm mid-wavelength infrared HgCdTe photodiode array with negative luminescence efficiency ∼95%

The negative luminescence (NL) efficiency of a 5 mm×5 mm array (100% effective fill factor) of HgCdTe photodiodes (λco=4.8 µm at 295 K) has been measured as a function of temperature. The internal NL efficiency of ≈95% at λ=4 µm is nearly independent of temperature in the 240–300 K range and, at 300 K, corresponds to an apparent temperature reduction of 60 K. This performance is obtained at a reverse-bias saturation-current density of only 0.11 A/cm2 at 296 K. With large area, high efficiency, and low saturation-current density, our results demonstrate a level of NL device performance at which such applications as cold shields for large-format focal plane arrays (FPAs) and multipoint nonuniformity correctors appear practical.