ABSTRACT
The principles of the reliable detection of light, in any region of the spectrum, depends on careful consideration of a large number of factors. The importance of signal level, noise and signal to noise ratio cannot be underestimated, and these general considerations are discussed in detail elsewhere (see chapter A7), together with details of the operating principles of many generic detectors. However, detection in the extremes of the ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) introduces a new range of considerations in these areas, and in the material characteristics that are required to construct reliable detectors.
