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.