PbSe films were grown on Si(111) by incorporation of BaF₂/CaF₂ 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.