Preparation and Investigation of the Properties of W/CeB6/W Heterostructure as a Sensitive Element of Single-Photon Thermoelectric Detector

The possibility of W/CeB6/W heterostructure preparation on Al2O3, AlN, Si, and W substrates by electron-beam evaporation method was investigated. The conditions for preparation of W thin films on dielectric substrates and CeB6 films, as well as of stoichiometric CeB6 films on W films, dielectric and tungsten substrates are determined. The reflection spectra of W films, the results of X-ray diffractometry, X-ray microanalysis, and electron microscopy of W and CeB6 films are presented. W/CeB6/W heterostructures of various configurations and sizes are produced. It was shown by means of computer simulation that at the detection of 6-50 eV photons, a detector with W/CeB6/W heterostructure-based sensitive element may provide microvolt level signal at terahertz count rate. The obtained results serve as the basis for creation of a prototype of a sensitive element of single-photon thermoelectric detector.