IRIS Switzerland Adopts Silvaco TCAD Software for the Development of Photodiodes for Autonomous Driving Applications

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silvaco.com, Nov. 24, 2020 – 

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Nov. 24, 2020 – Silvaco Inc., a leading supplier of EDA software and design IP, today announced that IRIS Switzerland has adopted Silvaco TCAD simulation software to prove the fabrication feasibility of a short-wave infrared single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) targeted for use in autonomous driving applications.

IRIS Switzerland develops and builds mid- and long-range short-wave infrared (SWIR) detectors and flash LiDARs that are primarily used in autonomous driving applications. Silvaco TCAD simulation software was chosen to accelerate the development of SPAD products with a systematic view of all device parameters to be analyzed. The simulations of the SPAD enabled the optimization of the device structure to deliver the best photodiode performance.

The SPAD structure makes use of two different semiconductor materials to absorb light and generate an electrical avalanche to amplify the signal. In the device, germanium-tin alloy is the absorption material and silicon is the multiplier material. TCAD simulations were performed with different doping and thicknesses of layers to extract an optimized electric field profile. The simulations gave valuable insights on thermoelectric cooling requirements early in the SPAD development to achieve an optimized Peltier cooling system in the first fabricated photodiode.

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