In this work an advanced overview in the field of near-infrared silicon photodetectors, is presented. Proposed photodetectors are based on the internal photoemission effect through a Schottky junction and their fabrication results completely compatible with the silicon technology. Taking advantage of both new structures and new two-dimensional emerging materials, a progressive increase in device performance has been demonstrated along the last years. Our insights show that silicon devices based on the internal photoemission effect are already suitable for power monitoring applications and they could play a key role in the telecommunications opening new frontiers in the field of low-cost silicon photonics.