ABSTRACT
Semiconductor p-n junction photodiodes have been available for half a century. This chapter covers some basic equations and models used in the simulations of p-n junction photodiodes. Simulations of p-n junction photodiodes involve many important physical models, which play a decisive role in the calculations of accurate results. Depending on the p-n junction photodiodes under investigation and the level of modeling accuracy required, there are three governing equations for charge transport in semiconductor devices: the Poisson equation and the electron and hole continuity equations. The optical beam absorption method supports the simulation of photogeneration using Beer's law. The optical generation method of raytracing supports the simulation of photogeneration in two dimensions and three dimensions for arbitrarily shaped structures. The BPM can be applied to find the light propagation and penetration into devices such as photodetectors. The chapter reviews and compares principles and characteristics of several common optical generation models.
