Numerical Simulation of Third-Generation HgCdTe Detector Pixel Arrays

• Published in: IEEE journal of selected topics in quantum electronics 2013-09, Vol.19 (5), p.1-15
• Main Authors: Schuster, J., Pinkie, B., Tobin, S., Keasler, C., D'Orsogna, D., Bellotti, E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Arrays; Computational modeling; Computer simulation; Detectors; Equations; Infrared detectors; Infrared radiation; Intermetallics; Materials; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical model; Mathematical models; mercury cadmium telluride; multispectral detectors; Numerical models; numerical simulation; photon-trapping; photonic crystals; photovoltaic detectors; Pixels; Time-domain analysis; two-color detectors
• ISSN: 1077-260X; 1558-4542
• DOI: 10.1109/JSTQE.2013.2256340

In this paper, we present a physics-based full 3-D numerical simulation model of third-generation infrared (IR) detector pixel arrays. The approach avoids geometrical simplifications typical of 1-D and 2-D models that can introduce errors which are difficult to quantify. We have used a finite-difference time-domain technique to compute the optical characteristics including the reflectance and the carrier generation rate in the device. Subsequently, we employ the finite-element method to solve the drift-diffusion equations on a mixed-element grid to compute the electrical characteristics including the I(V) characteristics and quantum efficiency. Furthermore, we have used this model to study HgCdTe two-color detectors that operate in the medium-wave to long-wave IR and photovoltaic pixel arrays employing a photon-trapping structure realized with a periodic array of pillars that operate in the medium-wave IR.