Effect of the material of injecting contacts on the CVCs of Pb1 − xSnxTe:In films

The flowing of the injection current in Pb1 − x Sn x Te:In structures (x ≥ 0.3) with various metal contacts at the temperature of helium is considered. The current-voltage characteristics (CVCs) of the structures in the dark and when they are illuminated from the blackbody model are given. It is found that the CVCs depend on the materials of the metal contact. The localized state density distribution over the forbidden band in structures with various contacts is given and the influence of the contact region and localized states on the CVC is discussed. The problems of constructing photodetectors with optimum threshold characteristics are discussed.