Comprehensive analysis of new near-infrared avalanche photodiode structure

Abstract

The essential steps in simulations of modern separate absorption, grading, charge, and multiplication avalanche photodiode and their results are discussed. All simulations were performed using two commercial technology computer-aided design type software packages, namely Silvaco ATLAS and Crosslight APSYS. Comparison between those two frameworks was made and differences between them were pointed out. Several examples of the influence of changes made in individual layers on overall device characteristics have been shown. Proper selection of models and their parameters as well as its significance on results has been illustrated. Additionally, default values of material parameters were revised and adequate values from the literature were entered. Simulated characteristics of optimized structure were compared with ones obtained from measurements of real devices (e. g., current-voltage curves). Finally, properties of crucial layers in the structure were discussed. (C) The Authors. Published by SPIE under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. Distribution or reproduction of this work in whole or in part requires full attribution of the original publication, including its DOI.