Imaging detectors based on the response of anisotropic layered materials

The inherent properties of naturally layered materials such as the high-temperature superconductors cause a transient voltage when a light pulse is absorbed. The amplitude is proportional to the absorbed energy. Observable pulses arise in the HTS materials even at room temperature. A phenomenological model of the effects consistent with our observations on the first generation of sensors will be discussed along with recent results regarding sensitivity to single photons, array geometry and readout, and energy resolution.