Specificity of defect formation in detectors based on cadmium telluride under pulse thermal influence

Active development of high technologies in the aerospace industry requires consideration of the operation of devices and equipment under extreme conditions; it is important to study the degradation of materials during rapid heating and cooling. In this paper, based on the theoretical and experimental work performed, we consider the degradation of cadmium telluride detectors caused by the development and evolution of a network of point defects caused by pulsed exposure with a heat dose of about 1000 ºС for no more than 10 seconds, simulating an extreme situation of a short circuit near the detector or direct heating by light pulses. The study showed that the crystalline material quickly degrades under such extreme conditions due to the rapid evolution of the defect network. The phenomenological model of the formation and distribution of defects during short-term exposure of the detector to thermal radiation has been improved. Electron microscopic studies of samples exposed to pulsed infrared radiation showed the development of a dense defect network, vacancy and interstitial defects, clusters and other damage in all samples.