Terahertz detectors based on Pb1−xSnxTe:In films

Results of experimental studies of Pb1−xSnxTe:In films grown by molecular beam epitaxy with the tin concentration close to band inversion are presented. An optimal concentration of indium is determined, and films with x > 0.3 are obtained, where the so-called metal-insulator transition is observed. Photoconductor prototypes are fabricated, and the photocurrent induced by free electron laser radiation in the range of 140–205 µm is measured. A possibility of using photoconductors for recording the own radiation of a body heated to a temperature of 300 K in a passive mode, including systems of image registration in the terahertz spectral range, is estimated.