Modeling Defect Enhanced Detection at 1550 nm in Integrated Silicon Waveguide Photodetectors

Recent attention has been attracted by photo-detectors integrated onto silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides that exploit the enhanced sensitivity to subbandgap wavelengths resulting from absorption via point defects introduced by ion implantation. In this paper, we present the first model to describe the carrier generation process of such detectors, based upon modified Shockley-Read-Hall generation/recombination, and, thus, determine the influence of the device design on detection efficiency. We further describe how the model may be incorporated into commercial software, which then simulates the performance of previously reported devices by assuming a single midgap defect level (with properties commensurate with the single negatively charged divacancy). We describe the ability of the model to highlight the major limitations to responsivity, and thus suggest improvements which diminish the impact of such limitations.