  A previously unknown effect-giant spatial redistribution of the electric
field strength in a crystal under illumination of the structure - was
discovered and investigated in real photoresistors on high-resistivity
(semi-insulating) semiconductor CdTe crystals (in metal-thin insulator-
semiconductor-thin insulator -metal structures).
  A new concept is proposed for photoelectric phenomena in high- resistivity
semiconductor crystals. The concept is based on the idea that the
redistribution of the field under such conditions that the carrier lifetime
remains unchanged under illumination plays a determining role in these
phenomena. The nature of the effect is described, the dependence of the
characteristics of the structures on the parameters of the crystal and the
insulator layers is explained by the manifestation of this effect, and ways to
produce structures with prescribed photoelectric characteristics for new
devices and scientific methods are examined.
