A new photoconductor device structure is described utilizing a heterojunction contact which incorporates a higher band‐gap HgCdTe alloy between the metal contact and the normal band‐gap photoconductor. A theoretical treatment of the heterojunction contact photoconductor (HCP) device shows that carrier sweepout can be virtually eliminated; the calculations predict elimination of ‘‘saturation’’ of responsivity and a very large increase in responsivity. HCP devices were fabricated; experimental results verified the theory in several ways. A responsivity was measured at 80 K of about 450 000 V/W at 30 V/cm and over 1 500 000 V/W at 125 V/cm.