RESEARCH INITIATION AWARD: Simulation of Photodetector Noiseby Monte Carlo Method

[308476 . Pejcinovic]拟议的研究将集中于调查光电探测器中的噪声：其来源、大小和对性能的影响。本研究的研究工具是为模拟现实设备而量身定制的蒙特卡罗方法。这样做的好处是，在检查新设备的性能之前，不必制造新设备设计；相反，它们的特征是在电脑上模拟出来的。蒙特卡罗方法是一种用于求解玻尔兹曼输运方程的统计方法，噪声是直接从基本物理量的波动中计算出来的：速度和电子或空穴的数量。该方法将首先在一些简单的设备上进行校准，然后逐步应用于更困难和复杂的情况，包括p-i-n光电二极管、雪崩光电二极管和量子阱红外光电探测器。每个设计的优点和缺点将被检查和可能的方法来提高性能的研究。由于噪声对模拟中使用的物理模型的细节非常敏感，因此本研究也可用于了解更多用于光电探测器的材料的特性。＊＊＊

9308476 Pejcinovic The proposed research will concentrate on investigating noise in photodetectors: its sources, magnitude, and effect on performance. The research tool for this study is the Monte Carlo method tailored for the simulation of realistic devices. This has the advantage that new device designs do not have to be manufactured before their performance can be examined; instead, their characteristics are simulated on a computer. The Monte Carlo method is a statistical method used to solve the Boltzmann transport equation and noise is directly calculated from the fluctuations of the underlying physical quantities: velocity and number of electrons or holes. The method will first be calibrated on some simple devices and then applied to progressively more difficult and complex cases, including p-i-n photodiodes, avalanche photodiodes, and quantum well infrared photodetectors. The advantages and disadvantages of each design will be examined and possible ways of improving the performance investigated. Since noise can be very sensitive to the details of the physical models used in simulation, this study can also be used to learn more about properties of materials used for photodetectors. ***