TCAD modelling of a-Si:H devices for particle detection applications

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) has been proposed as a suitable material for particle detection applications thanks to its property to be deposited over a large area and above a variety of different substrates, including flexible materials. Moreover, the low cost and intrinsic radiation tolerance made this material appealing in applications where high fluences are expected, e.g. in high energy physics experiments. In order to optimize the device geometry and to evaluate its electrical behaviour in different operating conditions, a suitable Technology CAD (TCAD) design methodology can be applied. In this work, carried out in the framework of the HASPIDE INFN project, we propose an innovative approach to the study of charge transport within the material, using the state-of-the-art Synopsys Advanced TCAD Suite. Different custom mobility models have been devised and implemented within the code as external PMI (Physical Model Interfaces), starting from the Poole–Frenkel model and accounting for different dependencies on temperature and internal potential distribution, thus resulting in a new mobility model embedded within the code. Simple test structures, featuring p-i-n diodes have been simulated and compared to experimental data as a benchmark. The overall aim was to account for the effect of different biasing conditions (namely, different electrical potential and electric field distribution within the device) and operating conditions (e.g. temperature). This work fosters the use of commercially available TCAD suite such as Synopsys Sentaurus, largely diffused in the radiation detection scientific community, for the design and optimization of innovative a-Si:H devices for particle detection applications.