In this paper, an optimized structure of single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) with p-i-n construction is presented, and the device is compatible with standard CMOS technology. TCAD software and accurate calculation method based on physics mechanism are employed for the device structure design and DCR calculation, respectively. The characteristic parameters of the device, such as electric field and electron and hole triggering probability, are available through TCAD Atlas device simulation. The central region of P-sub doping is designed as a part of avalanche region, which achieves a lower electric field, and makes the band-to-band tunneling suppressed simultaneously. The breakdown voltage of the SPAD is 38.5 V. At excess bias voltage of 5 V, DCR is 0.88 Hz/μm2 at room temperature. The maximum electric field of the optimized structure is 3.8×105 V/cm. As for PDE, at room temperature with 5.0 V excess bias, the PDE is greater than 30% in the 400 nm-675 nm range, with a peak PDE of 40% at 550 nm. At 850 nm, there is still a photon detection efficiency of more than 10%, making the SPAD still have a certain detection capability. The superior performance of this structure makes it suitable for wide applications.
We present a novel backside-illuminated single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) which is compatible with standard CMOS technology. The structure of SPAD is based on p-i-n junction which is the first time to be used to backsideilluminated structure, thus enabling a significantly low dark count rate (DCR). In order to get better photon detection efficiency (PDE) in near-infrared , we optimized the junction width and thickness of the device. The structure of SPAD is designed by the TCAD Devedit tool, and some important characteristic parameters are extracted by the Atlas tool. We calculate DCR and PDE using the extracted parameters. At 5 V excess bias voltage, the DCR of 0.81 Hz/μm2 is achieved at room temperature. The PDE at 5 V excess bias voltage is 20%. The fill factor is up to 53%. The DCR of the structure has reached the international advanced level.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.