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Comparing FDTD and Ray-Tracing Models in Numerical Simulation of HgCdTe LWIR Photodetectors

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Abstract

We present a simulation study of HgCdTe-based long-wavelength infrared detectors, focusing on methodological comparisons between the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and ray-tracing optical models. We performed three-dimensional simulations to determine the absorbed photon density distributions and the corresponding photocurrent and quantum efficiency spectra of isolated n-on-p uniform-composition pixels, systematically comparing the results obtained with FDTD and ray tracing. Since ray tracing is a classical optics approach, unable to describe interference effects, its applicability has been found to be strongly wavelength dependent, especially when reflections from metallic layers are relevant. Interesting cavity effects around the material cutoff wavelength are described, and the cases where ray tracing can be considered a viable approximation are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Elettronica e Telecomunicazioni, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Marco Vallone, Michele Goano, Francesco Bertazzi & Giovanni Ghione

  2. IEIIT-CNR, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129, Turin, Italy

    Michele Goano & Francesco Bertazzi

  3. AIM Infrarot-Module GmbH, Theresienstraße 2, 74072, Heilbronn, Germany

    Wilhelm Schirmacher, Stefan Hanna & Heinrich Figgemeier

Authors
  1. Marco Vallone
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  2. Michele Goano
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  3. Francesco Bertazzi
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  4. Giovanni Ghione
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  5. Wilhelm Schirmacher
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  6. Stefan Hanna
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  7. Heinrich Figgemeier
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Correspondence to Michele Goano.

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Vallone, M., Goano, M., Bertazzi, F. et al. Comparing FDTD and Ray-Tracing Models in Numerical Simulation of HgCdTe LWIR Photodetectors. J. Electron. Mater. 45, 4524–4531 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-016-4481-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11664-016-4481-x

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