Numerical Modeling of Silicon Photodiodes for High-Accuracy Applications Part III: Interpolating and Extrapolating...

Area of Science:

• Semiconductor device physics
• Optical sensor calibration
• Metrology

Background:

• Accurate internal quantum efficiency (IQE) calibration is crucial for photodiode performance evaluation.
• Existing calibration methods can be time-consuming and limited in spectral coverage.
• Part I of this series introduced the PC-ID modeling program and supporting tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a method for interpolating high-accuracy IQE calibrations for photodiodes.
• To establish convenient, wavelength-dependent interpolation formulas for the 450 nm to 850 nm spectral region.
• To quantify the uncertainty associated with the interpolation process.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the PC-ID semiconductor device modeling program and associated tools.
• Derived interpolation formulas based on wavelength.
• Normalized formulas to experimental IQE calibrations in specific spectral regions (440-470 nm and 860 nm).
• Derived uncertainty spectra for various error sources.

Main Results:

• Developed convenient interpolation formulas dependent only on wavelength.
• Normalized the formulas using experimental data at 440-470 nm and 860 nm.
• Interpolated IQE values between 450 nm and 850 nm.
• Achieved excellent agreement between interpolated and experimental data, with a maximum disagreement of 0.0003.

Conclusions:

• The derived interpolation formulas provide a highly accurate and convenient method for determining photodiode IQE.
• The method significantly enhances the spectral coverage of high-accuracy IQE calibrations.
• The approach minimizes interpolation errors, ensuring reliable photodiode characterization.