A germanium (Ge) short wavelength infrared (SWIR) imager and associated fabrication process are provided. The imager comprises a silicon (Si) substrate with doped wells. An array of pin diodes is formed in a relaxed Ge-containing film overlying the Si substrate, each pin diode having a flip-chip interface. There is a Ge/Si interface, and a doped Ge-containing buffer interposed between the Ge-containing film and the Ge/Si interface. An array of Si CMOS readout circuits is bonded to the flip-chip interfaces. Each readout circuit has a zero volt diode bias interface.