As one of the mainstream development directions of future infrared detectors, large-format infrared detectors have developed very rapidly in recent years. They are mainly used in the fields such as astrophysics, earth science, and planetary science. They are also a major tool for earth′s weather and climate description and air pollution detection in the future. With the increase of array format and material size, the difficulty of making devices has become more and more difficult. The two most commonly used infrared detectors in the world—HgCdTe and InSb infrared detectors—are introduced. Based on some domestic and foreign literatures, the development of the large-area-array technology of these two infrared detectors is summarized, and the relevant products and technical levels of several leading infrared detector manufacturers in the global industry are highlighted. Finally, the main problems in the development of large-format infrared detectors are pointed out.