Mid-infrared Imaging Using Strain-Relaxed Ge1–xSnx Alloys Grown on 20 nm Ge Nanowires

Germanium–tin (Ge1–xSnx) semiconductors are a front-runner platform for compact mid-infrared devices due to their tunable narrow bandgap and compatibility with silicon processing. However, their large lattice parameter has been a major hurdle, limiting the quality of epitaxial layers grown on silicon or germanium substrates. Herein, we demonstrate that 20 nm Ge nanowires (NWs) act as effective compliant substrates to grow extended defect-free Ge1–xSnx alloys with a composition uniformity over several micrometers along the NW growth axis without significant buildup of the compressive strain. Ge/Ge1–xSnx core/shell NWs with Sn content spanning the 6–18 at. % range are achieved and processed into photoconductors exhibiting a high signal-to-noise ratio at room temperature with a cutoff wavelength in the 2.0–3.9 μm range. The processed NW devices are integrated in an uncooled imaging setup enabling the acquisition of high-quality images under both broadband and laser illuminations at 1550 and 2330 nm without the lock-in amplifier technique.