Semitransparent palladium contacts on mercuric iodide were studied by low temperature photoluminescence spectroscopy and thermally stimulated conductivity. These contacts were deposited either by thermal evaporation or by plasma sputtering. Changes due to palladium deposition were found in the photoluminescence spectra and were attributed to modifications in the stoichiometry within the palladium/mercuric iodide interfacial region. Thermally stimulated conductivity measurements revealed two dominant traps with activation energies of 0.010 and 0.54 eV. The importance of these traps in the application of nuclear detection is discussed.