Determination of Singlet Exciton Diffusion Length in Thin Evaporated C60 Films for Photovoltaics.

C60 is used as an electron acceptor in small molecule photovoltaic devices in combination with various electron donors. The transport of excitons, i.e., bound electron/hole pairs, is an important factor determining the efficiency of such devices. Here we investigate the exciton diffusion length in C60 with the electrodeless time-resolved microwave conductance (TRMC) technique. Bilayers of 30 nm Zn-phthalocyanine with a C60 layer with variable thickness are prepared by physical vapor deposition. Analysis of the photoconductance with an exciton diffusion model yields a diffusion length of 7 nm, and the mobility of holes along Zn-Phthalocyanine stacks is close to 1 cm(2)/(V s). From analysis of the rise and decay of the TRMC transients, we attribute the photoconductance to diffusion and dissociation of singlet excitons rather than triplets. The energy transfer rate between C60 molecules exceeds 8 × 10(10) s(-1). Exciton diffusion cannot be described by the Förster model due to the close proximity of the molecules.

Parallel bulk-heterojunction solar cell by electrostatically driven phase separation.

Thermal co-evaporation of C(60) fullerene and two merocyanine dyes affords bulk heterojunction solar cells with improved short-circuit currents and power conversion efficiencies in comparison with the respective single donor cells. These results are rationalized by the formation of three distinct subphases driven by differences in molecular shape and electrostatic interactions.

Direct comparison of highly efficient solution- and vacuum-processed organic solar cells based on merocyanine dyes.

Identically configured bulk heterojunction organic solar cells based on merocyanine dye donor and fullerene acceptor compounds (see figure) are manufactured either from solution or by vacuum deposition, to enable a direct comparison. Whereas the former approach is more suitable for screening purposes, the latter approach affords higher short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency.

Organophosphonate self-assembled monolayers for gate dielectric surface modification of pentacene-based organic thin-film transistors: a comparative study.

Organic thin-film transistors using pentacene as the semiconductor were fabricated on silicon. A series of phosphonate-based self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) was used as a buffer between the silicon dioxide gate dielectric and the active pentacene channel region. Octadecylphosphonate, (quarterthiophene)phosphonate, and (9-anthracene)phosphonate SAMs were examined. Significant improvements in the sub-threshold slope and threshold voltage were observed for each SAM treatment as compared to control devices fabricated without the buffer. These improvements were related to structural motif relationships between the pentacene semiconductor and the SAM constituents. Measured transistor properties were consistent with a reduction in density of charge trapping states at the semiconductor-dielectric interface that was effected by introduction of the self-assembled monolayer.

Energy level and band alignment for GaAs-alkylthiol monolayer-Hg junctions from electrical transport and photoemission experiments.

A series of p- and n-GaAs-S-C(n)H(2n+1) || Hg junctions are prepared, and the electronic transport through them is measured. From current-voltage measurements, we find that, for n-GaAs, transport occurs by both thermionic emission and tunneling, with the former dominating at low forward bias and the latter dominating at higher forward bias. For p-GaAs, tunneling dominates at all bias voltages. By combining the analysis of the transport data with results from direct and inverse photoemission spectroscopy, we deduce an energy band diagram of the system, including the tunnel barrier and, with this barrier and within the Simmons tunneling model, extract an effective mass value of 1.5-1.6m(e) for the electronic carriers that cross the junctions. We find that transport is well-described by lowest unoccupied and highest occupied states at 1.3-1.4 eV above and 2.0-2.2 eV below the Fermi level. At the same time, the photoemission data indicate that there are continua of states from the conduction band minimum and the valence band maximum, the density of which varies with energy. On the basis of our results, it appears likely that, for both types of junctions, electrons are the main carrier type, although holes may contribute significantly to the transport in the p-GaAs system.

Effect of molecular binding to a semiconductor on metal/molecule/semiconductor junction behavior.

Diodes made by (indirectly) evaporating Au on a monolayer of molecules that are adsorbed chemically onto GaAs, via either disulfide or dicarboxylate groups, show roughly linear but opposite dependence of their effective barrier height on the dipole moment of the molecules. We explain this by Au-molecule (electrical) interactions not only with the exposed end groups of the molecule but also with its binding groups. We arrive at this conclusion by characterizing the interface by in situ UPS-XPS, ex situ XPS, TOF-SIMS, and Kelvin probe measurements, by scanning microscopy of the surfaces, and by current-voltage measurements of the devices. While there is a very limited interaction of Au with the dicarboxylic binding groups, there is a much stronger interaction with the disulfide groups. We suggest that these very different interactions lead to different (growth) morphologies of the evaporated gold layer, resulting in opposite effects of the molecular dipole on the junction barrier height.