Adding DistributedGeneration to Charge

[marc-flex]

Greptile Summary

Updated On: 2025-09-01 07:23:28 UTC

This PR adds distributed generation capabilities to the charge simulation framework by introducing the DistributedGeneration class. The change enables modeling of spatially-varying generation rates in semiconductor devices, which is essential for simulating photodiodes, solar cells, and other optoelectronic components where optical absorption creates electron-hole pairs throughout the device volume.

The implementation follows established patterns in the codebase:

• A new DistributedGeneration class is defined in generation_recombination.py that accepts a SpatialDataArray for the generation rate
• The class is properly integrated into the type system by adding it to the RecombinationModelType union in types.py
• Public API exposure is handled through imports in the main __init__.py file
• Documentation is updated to include the new class in the API reference
• Comprehensive tests validate the functionality

This extends the existing recombination model framework (Auger, Radiative, Shockley-Reed-Hall) to also support generation processes, providing a complete picture of carrier dynamics in semiconductor devices. The use of SpatialDataArray is consistent with how other spatially-varying properties are handled throughout the framework.

Important Files Changed

Click to expand

Filename	Score	Overview
tidy3d/components/tcad/generation_recombination.py	2/5	Adds DistributedGeneration class but contains typo, missing import, and incomplete docstring
tidy3d/components/tcad/types.py	5/5	Clean addition of DistributedGeneration to import and union type
tidy3d/__init__.py	5/5	Simple and correct addition to public API exports
tests/test_components/test_heat_charge.py	4/5	Comprehensive test coverage for new generation/recombination functionality
docs/api/charge/mediums.rst	5/5	Documentation update to include new classes in API reference

Confidence score: 3/5

• This PR has good conceptual design but contains implementation issues that need fixing before merge
• Score lowered due to typo in critical field definition, missing numpy import in example, and incomplete docstring
• Pay close attention to tidy3d/components/tcad/generation_recombination.py which has multiple issues requiring fixes

Sequence Diagram

sequenceDiagram
    participant User
    participant DistributedGeneration
    participant SpatialDataArray
    participant SemiconductorMedium
    participant HeatChargeSimulation
    
    User->>SpatialDataArray: "Create spatial data array with coordinates and generation rates"
    SpatialDataArray-->>User: "Return spatial data array"
    
    User->>DistributedGeneration: "Create DistributedGeneration(rate=spatial_data)"
    DistributedGeneration->>SpatialDataArray: "Validate rate field"
    SpatialDataArray-->>DistributedGeneration: "Validation successful"
    DistributedGeneration-->>User: "Return generation model"
    
    User->>SemiconductorMedium: "Create medium with R=[generation_model]"
    SemiconductorMedium->>DistributedGeneration: "Add to recombination models list"
    DistributedGeneration-->>SemiconductorMedium: "Model added"
    SemiconductorMedium-->>User: "Return semiconductor medium"
    
    User->>HeatChargeSimulation: "Create simulation with semiconductor medium"
    HeatChargeSimulation->>SemiconductorMedium: "Access recombination/generation models"
    SemiconductorMedium->>DistributedGeneration: "Get generation rate data"
    DistributedGeneration->>SpatialDataArray: "Retrieve spatial rate values"
    SpatialDataArray-->>DistributedGeneration: "Return rate data"
    DistributedGeneration-->>SemiconductorMedium: "Return generation rates"
    SemiconductorMedium-->>HeatChargeSimulation: "Provide complete medium properties"
    HeatChargeSimulation-->>User: "Return configured simulation"

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Context used:

Rule - Do not use markdown formatting in exception or warning messages; use single quotes to highlight variable names and code. (link)
Rule - Keep docstrings and comments synchronized with code changes to ensure they are always accurate and not misleading. (link)
Rule - Ensure all parameters in a function's signature are documented in its docstring. (link)

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Diff Coverage

Diff: origin/develop...HEAD, staged and unstaged changes

• tidy3d/components/tcad/generation_recombination.py (100%)

Summary

• Total: 16 lines
• Missing: 0 lines
• Coverage: 100%

[momchil-flex]

That was fast! Just one quick comment on frontend, will take a look at backend next.

[marc-flex]

@momchil-flex, feel free to have another look to the new tests and validators. If nothing else pops up this is ready