Large-scale numerical simulation of reduced-pitch HgCdTe infrared detector arrays

Abstract

Numerical simulations play an important role in the development of large-format infrared detector array tech- nologies, especially when considering devices whose sizes are comparable to the wavelength of the radiation they are detecting. Computational models can be used to predict the optical and electrical response of such devices and evaluate designs prior to fabrication. We have developed a simulation framework which solves Maxwell’s equations to determine the electromagnetic properties of a detector and subsequently uses a drift-diffusion ap- proach to asses the electrical response. We apply these techniques to gauge the effects of cathode placement on the inter- and intra-pixel attributes of compositionally graded and constant Hg1−xCdxTe mid-wavelength infrared detectors. In particular, the quantum efficiency, nearest-neighbor crosstalk, and modulation transfer function are evaluated for several device architectures.