A Review of CMOS Photodiode Modeling and the Role of the Lateral Photoresponse

The CMOS photodiode is the primary photosensing device used in solid-state image sensors. A review of significant CMOS photodiode models that can be found in the literature in recent years is presented here. We have focused on photocurrent models in one, two, and three dimensions, paying special attention to lateral current components. Lateral collection, particularly for small devices fabricated in deep submicrometer technologies, has been shown to be of utmost importance. Finally, several models to account for crosstalk effects are also described.