Modeling Photocurrent Spectra of Single-Color and Dual-Band HgCdTe Photodetectors: Is 3D Simulation Unavoidable?

By systematically comparing one-, two-, and three-dimensional (1D, 2D, 3D) simulations of a single-color HgCdTe n-on-p photodiode, we discuss nontrivial differences between 2D and 3D results and observe the need for at least a 2D description in order to get qualitatively correct photocurrent spectra. We show that the photoresponse of a typical dual-band mid-wavelength/long-wavelength infrared pixel can be investigated also in 1D under certain conditions, and we assess the limitations of 1D and 2D modeling against reference 3D simulations.