Monolithic and hybrid near infrared detection and imaging based on poli-Ge photodiode arrays
G. Masini, L. Colace, F. Petullà, G. Assanto, V. Cencelli, and F. DeNotaristefani
Opt. Mat. 27, 1079-1083 (2005)
Abstract:
In recent years, several Ge-on-Si technologies for the fabrication of near infrared photodetectors on Si substrates were proposed.
In particular, using a low temperature (300 °C) technique, we have demonstrated poly-Ge_on_Si detectors with high speed and good
NIR responsivity. The low process temperature allows the monolithic integration of the detectors as a final step in the fabrication of
Si CMOS integrated circuits. After an introduction on poly-Ge, we describe a novel integrated chip (NIRCAM-1) designed as a
readout/control circuit for arrays of 64 (32) poly-Ge_on_Si photodetectors. The photodiodes, monolithically integrated (wirebonded
with a hybrid approach) on the IC, generate a photocurrent which is then ADC converted after subtraction of the dark
component, thus allowing a convenient digital readout of the array. The extensive optoelectronic characterization of the IC is
presented.