PbSe films were grown on Si(111) by incorporation of BaF 2/CaF 2 buffers using molecular beam epitaxy. The measurements of both scanning electronic microscopy and high resolution X ray diffraction showed high crystalline quality of the PbSe films. The surface of PbSe was mirror like and no cracks were observed. The full width at half maximum of PbSe diffraction peak was only 153 arcsec. The epitaxial PbSe films were used to fabricate photodiodes. For the first time, metallic aluminum was used to form Al PbSe Schottky diodes, which demonstrated better and more stable current voltage characteristics than that obtained from Pb PbSe Schottky diodes.