Ge-on-Si photodiode with black silicon boosted responsivity

Normal-incidence Ge-on-Si photodiodes with 300 nm thick intrinsic Ge absorber layer and black silicon light-trapping are fabricated and analyzed with regard to their responsivity. Compared to a standard Ge-on-Si photodiode without black silicon, the black silicon device exhibits a 3-times increased responsivity of 0.34 A/W at 1550 nm. By that, the problematic bandwidth-responsivity trade-off in ultrafast Ge-on-Si detectors can be widely overcome. The black silicon light-trapping structure can be applied to the device rear during back-end processing.

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