This work presents an analysis of the influence of
intrinsic length region and the thickness of the silicon film on
the performance of lateral thin-film SOI PIN (Silicon on insulator
P-I-N photodiodes) when illuminated by low wavelengths, in
the blue and ultraviolet (UV) range. The experimental measurements
performed with the wavelengths of 396 nm, 413 nm, and
460 nm in a temperature range of 100 K to 400 K showed that
the optical responsivity of the SOI PIN photodetectors has
larger dependence on the incident wavelength than on the variation
of temperature. Two-dimensional numerical simulations
showed the same trends as the experimental results as a function
of temperature and as a function of wavelength. Numerical simulations
were used to investigate the responsivity and total
quantum efficiency of PIN SOI photodetectors with intrinsic
length region ranging from 5 μm to 30 μm and silicon film thickness
ranging between 40 nm to 500 nm. From the results it can
be concluded that by properly choosing intrinsic length and silicon
film thickness it is possible to optimize PIN SOI photodiodes
performance for detecting specific wavelengths that can
help defining the best technology for detection of a given wavelength.
