Silicon‐Based Intermediate‐Band Infrared Photodetector Realized by Te Hyperdoping

Abstract

Abstract Si‐based photodetectors satisfy the criteria of being low‐cost and environmentally friendly, and can enable the development of on‐chip complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor (CMOS)‐compatible photonic systems. However, extending their room‐temperature photoresponse into the mid‐wavelength infrared (MWIR) regime remains challenging due to the intrinsic bandgap of Si. Here, we report on a comprehensive study of a room‐temperature MWIR photodetector based on Si hyperdoped with Te. The demonstrated MWIR p‐n photodiode exhibits a spectral photoresponse up to 5 µm and a slightly lower detector performance than the commercial devices in the wavelength range of 1.0–1.9 µm. The correlation between the background noise and the sensitivity of the Te‐hyperdoped Si photodiode, where the maximum room‐temperature specific detectivity is found to be 3.2 × 10 12 cmHz 1/2 W −1 and 9.2 × 10 8 cmHz 1/2 W −1 at 1 µm and 1.55 µm, respectively, is also investigated. This work contributes to pave the way towards establishing a Si‐based broadband infrared photonic system operating at room temperature.