A metal-amorphous silicon-germanium alloy Schottky barrier for infrared optoelectronic IC on glass substrate application

The effects of material and structure parameters on an amorphous-silicon-germanium alloy Schottky barrier diode's responsivity have been investigated in detail. The effects contradict each other. A compromise is made in selecting parameters for construction of a Si/sub 1-x/Ge/sub x/:H Schottky barrier for an IR detector. The optimized amorphous-silicon-germanium alloy Schottky diode using x=0.43 alloy with a 900-nm-thick i-layer was found to have a peak at 850 nm with a responsivity of 0.6 A/W under -2-V bias. The diode also has a response time of 33 mu s and slight photodegradation. Thus, the diode becomes a candidate for manufacturing the infrared OEIC (optoelectronic integrated circuit) on glass substrate in applications which require size, reproducibility, and low cost more than sensitivity.>