We have investigated the negative luminescent properties of HgCdTe photodiodes having peak emission at a wavelength of 7.6 μm, as a function of temperature and applied bias. Under reverse bias at room temperature, intrinsic Auger processes are almost fully suppressed. The internal negative luminescence efficiency of ≈85 is nearly independent of temperature in the 240-300 K range, and at 296 K corresponds to an apparent temperature reduction of 43 K. The small currents needed to drive these diodes (as little as 0.7 A/cm~(2) at 296 K), together with their long-wavelength luminescence, make them suitable for a range of device applications.
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