Simulation of High-Speed III-V Photodiodes
Project Description
The goal of this semester project is to perform DC simulation for InP based photodiodes using the commercial device simulator SILVACO ATLAS. This project requires understanding the underlying physics and operation of the III-V photodiodes, as well as analysing the DC and RF figures of merit.
Photodiodes (PDs) play a crucial role in high speed fiber-optic and wireless communication systems. Semiconductor heterostructures based on the elements of group III and V build the basis for wideband and high power photodiodes (eg: PIN-PDs and UTC-PDs). The development of such high-speed photodiodes involves optimization of the semiconductor epitaxial layers as well as the device fabrication.
The experimental determination of the influence of different parameters like material composition, layer thickness and doping on the DC performance of a photodiode requires considerable time and financial resources. Thus, device simulations are needed to give an idea about the implications of these parameters.