An infrared sensitive photodiode which is made of an epitaxial layer of a miconductor alloy which is a lead chalcogenide, a lead-tin chalcogenide, or a lead-cadmium chalcogenide grown on a single crystal substrate of an infrared transparent, electrically insulating material, an Ohmic contact deposited on the epitaxial layer, and a non-Ohmic Pb metal contact deposited on the epitaxial layer to form a Schottky barrier, the improvement comprising the inclusion of halide ions in the interface region between the non-Ohmic lead metal contact and the epitaxial layer of semiconductor material.