Passivation of multiple-quantum-well Ge0.97Sn0.03/Ge p-i-n photodetectors

We study the effect of surface passivation on pseudomorphic multiple-quantum-well Ge0.97Sn0.03/Ge p-i-n photodetectors. A combination of ozone oxidation to form GeOx and GeSnOx on the surface of the diodes followed by atomic layer deposition of Al2O3 for protection of these native oxides provides reduced dark current. With a temperature-dependent investigation of dark current, we calculate the activation energy to be 0.26 eV at a bias of −0.1 V and 0.05 eV at −1 V for the sample passivated by this ozone method. Based on these activation energy results, we find that the current is less dominated by bulk tunneling at lower reverse bias values; hence, the effect of surface passivation is more noticeable with nearly an order-of-magnitude improvement in dark current for the ozone-passivated sample compared to control devices without the ozone treatment at a voltage of −0.1 V. Passivation also results in a significant enhancement of the responsivity, particularly for shorter wavelengths, with 26% higher responsivity at 1100 nm and 16% higher performance at 1300 nm.