Near-Infrared Detection Using Pulsed Tunneling Junction in Silicon Devices

We exploit the potential of the pulsed tunneling bias condition in silicon junctions (the Zener junction and the drain surface junction in nMOSFETs) to detect near-infrared (NIR) photon signals. A combination of the Franz-Keldysh effect and avalanche multiplication with minimization of the thermal effect through a pulsed tunneling bias is found to provide infrared radiation sensitivities as high as 1.18 and 0.89 A/W at the wavelengths of 1310 and 1550 nm, respectively, in a Zener diode. The potential of the drain surface junction in MOSFETs to function as an NIR sensor is also investigated using a similar bias scheme.