Influence of Contacts on Electric Field in an Au/(CdZn)Te/Au Detector: A Simulation

We report our simulations on the influence of contacts on charge collection in semi-insulating (CdZn)Te with Au contacts under radiation flux, employing simultaneous solutions of the drift-diffusion and Poisson equations. The type of the space charge and the distribution of the electric field in the Au/(CdZn)Te/Au structure at high fluxes reflect the combined influence of charge generated by band bending at the electrodes, and from photogenerated carriers trapped at deep levels. We show that the space charge originating from the latter approaches dominance at high fluxes while the influence of the contacts becomes negligible. The ratio of trapping and collection times at low fluxes strongly depends on band bending, due mainly to a change in the occupation of deep levels by injection or depletion from the contacts. Such dependence is weak at high fluxes; in this case, the space charge due to trapped carriers prevails over that formed due to band bending. These phenomena can cause the formation an electric-field minimum within the device (the pinch point), the position of which is influenced by the nature of the contacts. The field minimum can completely disappear or develop into a dead layer as band bending changes.