We develop an empirically based optoelectronic model to accurately simulate the photocurrent in organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices with novel materials including bulk heterojunction OPV devices based on a new low band gap dithienothiophene-DPP donor polymer, P(TBT-DPP), blended with PC70BM at various donor-acceptor weight ratios and solvent compositions. Our devices exhibit power conversion efficiencies ranging from 1.8% to 4.7% at AM 1.5G. Electron and hole mobilities are determined using space-charge limited current measurements. Bimolecular recombination coefficients are both analytically calculated using slowest-carrier limited Langevin recombination and measured using an electro-optical pump-probe technique. Exciton quenching efficiencies in the donor and acceptor domains are determined from photoluminescence spectroscopy. In addition, dielectric and optical constants are experimentally determined. The photocurrent and its bias-dependence that we simulate using the optoelectronic model we develop, which takes into account these physically measured parameters, shows less than 7% error with respect to the experimental photocurrent (when both experimentally and semi-analytically determined recombination coefficient is used). Free carrier generation and recombination rates of the photocurrent are modeled as a function of the position in the active layer at various applied biases. These results show that while free carrier generation is maximized in the center of the device, free carrier recombination is most dominant near the electrodes even in high performance devices. Such knowledge of carrier activity is essential for the optimization of the active layer by enhancing light trapping and minimizing recombination. Our simulation program is intended to be freely distributed for use in laboratories fabricating OPV devices.
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21 April 2013
Research Article|
April 19 2013
Empirically based device modeling of bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics
Adrien Pierre;
Adrien Pierre
1
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley
, California 94720, USA
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Shaofeng Lu;
Shaofeng Lu
2Polyera Corporation, 8045 Lamon Avenue, Skokie, Illinois 60077,
USA
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Ian A. Howard;
Ian A. Howard
3
Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research
, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz, Germany
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Antonio Facchetti;
Antonio Facchetti
2Polyera Corporation, 8045 Lamon Avenue, Skokie, Illinois 60077,
USA
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Ana Claudia Arias
Ana Claudia Arias
a)
1
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, University of California, Berkeley
, California 94720, USA
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a)
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: acarias@eecs.berkeley.edu.
J. Appl. Phys. 113, 154506 (2013)
Article history
Received:
January 14 2013
Accepted:
March 25 2013
Citation
Adrien Pierre, Shaofeng Lu, Ian A. Howard, Antonio Facchetti, Ana Claudia Arias; Empirically based device modeling of bulk heterojunction organic photovoltaics. J. Appl. Phys. 21 April 2013; 113 (15): 154506. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4801662
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