Modeling Advances for Single Photon Avalanche Diode: From optical simulation to Monte Carlo simulation.
Abstract: Single Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPAD) are key optoelectronic detectors for medical imaging, camera ranging and automotive laser imaging detection and ranging (LiDAR) applications. The optimization of the SPAD Figure Of Merits is strategic at an industrial level. Currently, the Photon Detection Probability (PDE), the timing statistic response to avalanche (Jitter) and the SPAD quench probability must be co-optimized using advanced numerical methods.
In this presentation we report a rigorous simulations using Monte Carlo Breakdown Probability (BRP) predictions coupled to optical simulations of PDE and Jitter (see figure 1). We also discuss in detail, the quench probability of these diodes once in avalanche. This latter point, rarely discussed in literature, is addressed using a Mixed-Mode Monte Carlo approach including the quench circuit.
Denis Rideau received a Ph.D. degree in Physics from the University of Orsay, France in 2001, and an Engineering degree at ESIEE, Paris in 1996. He is now performing TCAD simulations at STMicroelectronics, Crolles in France. His research interests are modelling and simulation of semiconductor nanodevices, with emphasis on quantum effects, strain effects, wafer orientations, and alternative channel materials in FDSOI and FinFets. He has developed several codes for computing the electronic bandstructures in strain Si, Ge, and SiGe devices using the k.p-Schrödinger approach. He investigates by means of TCAD simulations advanced devices, including alternative III-V channel materials. In parallel he developed advanced solvers (Monte Carlo and NEGF) to simulate the transport properties of single-gate and multi-gate devices featuring stress, substrate orientation, SiGe materials and high-k/metal gate. He is an expert in the calibration of industrial TCAD software aiming in providing parameters but also validation and benchmarking on experimental.
