Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 August 2011
We present low cost near infrared photodetectors based on polycrystalline Ge film thermally evaporated on a silicon substrate. We demonstrate that, by proper choice of deposition conditions and device configuration, a responsivity of 16mA/W and a response time of a few nanoseconds can be achieved at the wavelength of 1.3micron. The device can operate up to 1.55micron. We also describe the fabrication and the operation of a 16 pixel linear detector array, with pitch of about 100 micron.