TCAD Modeling of Amorphous Selenium-based Avalanche Photon Detectors
Abstract— Silvaco TCAD simulations are employed to identify relevant current carrying mechanisms in amorphous selenium (a-Se) based detectors, using parameters obtained from experimental data, density functional theory calculations, and in-house bulk Monte Carlo simulations. The steady-state dark current behaviors in various a-Se detectors are analyzed by identifying all relevant current conduction mechanisms (e.g., space-charge limited current, bulk thermal generation, Schottky emission, Poole-Frenkel activated mobility and hopping conduction), as well as “acceptor” and “donor” defect density of states located in the forbidden band gap of a-Se. The theoretical models are validated by comparing them with experimental steady-state dark current densities in avalanche and non-avalanche a-Se detectors.