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/cm2 and 44 mA/cm2,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.