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Current mid-infrared detection technologies dominating the market are mainly based on group III-V semiconductors. These devices have detection range depending upon the materials and also drawbacks like complex and expensive fabrication process, and incompatibility with CMOS processes. To overcome these complexities, silicon-based photodetectors using low cost approaches offer the excellent alternative. The current commercialized silicon-based detector technologies exhibit detection capabilities up to 1100 nm. Here, we have presented a metal–semiconductor silicon-based detectors showing a wider detection range extending from visible light to mid-infrared region. In this work, we investigate a silicon based Schottky diode photodetectors with a thin Ag film of thickness 10 nm over a silicon substrate for detecting radiation emitted from mid-infrared light source. Using lock-in amplifier for further measurement, not only the quality of signal was increased, the detection range of the device is enhanced up-to 5300 nm, which is far beyond the current limit of silicon-based detectors. Hence, the Schottky device used in this study has the potential to detect radiation up to mid-infrared wavelengths. On the other hand, the relative level of noise generated also increases with wavelength, so the detection signal gets buried. These signals have been successfully extracted and analyzed using the technology of Lock-in Amplifier.
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