The metal-CdZnTe (CZT) interface plays a vital role in determining the contact characteristics, which is often the dominant factor influencing detector performance. The effects of the degradation of the interfacial layer between the metal contact layer and CZT surface on the mechanical and electrical properties have been investigated in this paper. The interfacial thermal stresses were simulated using 3-D finite element method (FEM). The results indicate that the maximum thermal stress is concentrated on the midst of the electrode and the magnitude of the stress produced by the different electrode materials in order is Al>Au>Pt>In. The adhesion forces between the metal contact layer and CZT surface were measured by using a Dage PC2400 Micro tester with the shear-off-method. The inter-diffusion between the metal contact layer and CZT was identified using the Anger depth profiles. The experimental results indicate that the electroless Au electrode on p-type high resistivity CZT is of smaller interfacial adhesion strength, but of better ohmicity than the sputtered Au. In addition, the aging effects on the contact characteristics of the detector were also examined.