Numerical Modeling of SRH and Tunneling Mechanisms in High-Operating-Temperature MWIR HgCdTe Photodetectors

A combined experimental and numerical simulation study is presented on two sets of nominally identical $$\hbox {Hg}_{1-x}\hbox {Cd}_{x}\hbox {Te}$$Hg1-xCdxTe single-color back-illuminated midwave-infrared n-on-p photodetectors grown by liquid-phase epitaxy, p-doped with Hg vacancies and with Au, respectively. The present numerical model includes a novel formulation for band-to-band tunneling, which overcomes the intrinsic limitations of the classical Kane description without introducing numerical issues typical of other approaches. Our study confirms that adopting n-on-p architectures, avoiding metal vacancy doping, and reducing the acceptor density in the absorber region are prerequisites for obtaining high-operating-temperature photodetectors. A significant contribution to the dark current in both sets of devices is attributed to impact ionization, crucial to obtain a satisfactory explanation for the measured characteristics also at low to intermediate bias.