High Temperature Tolerant Ge-on-Si Single Photon Avalanche Diode at the Communication Wavelength

We present a practical design concept to reduce the noise of Ge-on-Si single photon avalanche diodes to improve temperature operation. In this letter, three different values of barrier height design have been investigated, and all devices exhibit ultra-low leakage current (<10 pA) and low noise-equivalent power (<10 fWHz−1/2). A high photon detection efficiency of 24.7 % and effective suppression of the dark count rate enable photon response at high temperatures up to 330 K with low and high barrier height designs, respectively. With our proposed structure design, the initial progress made by Ge-on-Si SPADs in overcoming challenges associated with low temperatures is underscored, emphasizing its potential in light detection and ranging applications across ambient and elevated temperatures.