1.3 How to specify what you want to simulate?

\(\mathtt{\require{color}{\color[rgb]{0.000000000000000,0.500000000000000,0.500000000000000} SIMsalabim}}\) needs a description of the device you would like to simulate—more on that later—in addition to a specification of the experiment it should mimic. The latter can be, for example, a voltage sweep or a change in light intensity. The software will then use the drift-diffusion model to simulate the measurable outputs (current, voltage) and will also output the internal variables (for example the carrier densities and the potential within the device). Figure 1.1 outlines the basic work flow.

The device itself consists of two electrodes (left and right) and one or more semiconducting layers. So the simplest device consists of a single semiconductor sandwiched between two electrodes. More layers can be added, so as to simulate a device with multiple transport layers and/or absorber layers. The interface between two semiconducting layers may or may not—depending on the input—contain interfacial traps.