High-performing silicon-based germanium Schottky photodetector with ITO transparent electrode*

A near-infrared germanium (Ge) Schottky photodetector (PD) with an ultrathin silicon (Si) barrier enhancement layer between the indium-doped tin oxide (ITO) electrode and Ge epilayer on Si or silicon-on-insulator (SOI) is proposed and fabricated. The well-behaved ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky junctions without intentional doping process for the Ge epilayer are formed on the Si and SOI substrates. The Si- and SOI-based ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky PDs exhibit low dark current densities of 33 mA/cm(2) and 44 mA/cm(2), respectively. Benefited from the high transmissivity of ITO electrode and the reflectivity of SOI substrate, an optical responsivity of 0.19 A/W at 1550 nm wavelength is obtained for the SOI-based ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky PD. These complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatible Si (or SOI)-based ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky PDs are quite useful for detecting near-infrared wavelengths with high efficiency.

Automated summary

A near-infrared germanium (Ge) Schottky photodetector with an ultrathin silicon barrier enhancement layer on Si or silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates is proposed and fabricated in this study. The ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky junctions formed without intentional doping process for the Ge epilayer exhibit low dark current densities and high optical responsivity. These CMOS compatible Si (or SOI)-based ITO/Si cap/Ge Schottky PDs are useful for efficiently detecting near-infrared wavelengths.