Plasma immersion ion implantation (Pill) of hydrogen can provide appropriate kinetic energy to passivate the Si/SiO2 interface. To avoid excessive damage of hydrogen, the implantation is performed with low kinetic energy (100 eV). Passivation decreases the dark current and enhances responsivity of metal-oxide-semiconductor tunneling photodetectors. The dependence of photoluminescence (PL) intensity on surface recombination velocity is theoretically studied. The intensity enhancement of PL also indicates that surface recombination velocity at Si/SiO2 is significantly reduced after the PIII passivation. Since PIII is capable of isotropic implantation, tunable penetration depth, and large area process, it is an ideal tool for Si passivation with high throughput. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.