Mercury cadmium telluride infrared filters and detectors and methods of fabrication

Abstract

A multiple film integrated infrared (IR) detector assembly 85 consists of detector films 86, 88, 90 having different IR spectral sensitivities which are deposited on a breadboard IR transmissive but electrically insulating substrate 42. Substrate 42 is deposited on an IR filter layer comprising an HgCdTe film 70. By various techniques described, filter film 70 has a varying composition from edge 68 to 72. This compositional gradient of film 70 results in varying IR spectral absorption as shown by IR transmission graphs 10, 12, 14. Film 70 acts as a graded IR filter in concert with the response of the detector films 86, 88, 90. By the proper choice of the compositional gradients in these films, and as a result the IR spectral response, an integrated IR spectrometer may be fabricated whereby each detector 86, 87, 90 detects only specific narrow bands of IR wavelengths.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.