Mixed-Mode Optical/Electric Simulation of Silicon Lateral PIN Photodiode Using FDTD Method

Within this paper, a total optoelectronic simulation of a PIN photodiode structure was presented. The microlens structure has been introduced on the top of the PIN photodiode to compensate the low sensitivity level of the sensor. Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method has been used to estimate the optical generation inside the active device. Optical simulation was combined to the electric device simulation stemmed from the drift-diffusion model (DDM) that describe the charge carrier transport in the PIN photodiode. The suggested algorithm provides the time and space distribution of the principals parameters as carriers’ concentration, electrostatic potential and current density. Furthermore, external quantum efficiency and sensitivity of the PIN photodiode are estimated and compared with the solution obtained from SILVACO-TCAD simulator.