Accurate Simulation of Temperature-Dependent Dark Current in HgCdTe Infrared Detectors Assisted by Analytical Modeling

Resistance–voltage curves of n+-on-p Hg1−xCdxTe infrared photodiodes were measured in the temperature range of 60 K to 120 K. Characteristics obtained experimentally were fitted by an improved simultaneous-mode nonlinear fitting process. Based on the extracted parameters, an efficient numerical sim- ulation approach has been developed by inserting trap-assisted and band-to-band tunneling models into continuity equations as generation–recombination processes. Simulated dark-current characteristics were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data, demonstrating the validity of the nonlinear fitting process. Our work presents an efficient method for dark-current simulations over a wide range of temperatures and bias voltages, which is important for investigating mechanisms of carrier transport across the HgCdTe junction.