Charge Carrier Generation Followed by Triplet State Formation, Annihilation, and Carrier Recreation in PBDTTT-C:PC 60 BM Photovoltaic Blends

KAUST Repository

Gehrig, Dominik W.

2015-05-22

Triplet state formation after photoexcitation of low-bandgap polymer:fullerene blends has recently been demonstrated, however, the precise mechanism and its impact on solar cell performance is still under debate. Here, we study exciton dissociation, charge carrier generation and triplet state formation in low-bandgap polymer PBDTTT-C:PC60BM bulk heterojunction photovoltaic blends by a combination of fs-µs broadband Vis-NIR transient absorption (TA) pump-probe spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) data analysis. We found sub-ps exciton dissociation and charge generation followed by sub-ns triplet state creation. The carrier dynamics and triplet state dynamics exhibited a very pronounced intensity dependence indicating non-geminate recombination of free carriers is the origin of triplet formation in these blends. Triplets were found to be the dominant state present on the nanosecond timescale. Surprisingly, the carrier population increased again on the ns-µs timescale. We attribute this to triplet-triplet annihilation and the formation of higher energy excited states that subsequently underwent charge transfer. This unique dip and recovery of the charge population is a clear indication that triplets are formed by non-geminate recombination, as such a kinetic is incompatible with a monomolecular triplet state formation process.

Charge Carrier Generation Followed by Triplet State Formation, Annihilation, and Carrier Recreation in PBDTTT-C:PC 60 BM Photovoltaic Blends

KAUST Repository

Gehrig, Dominik W.; Howard, Ian A.; Laquai, Fré dé ric

2015-01-01

Triplet state formation after photoexcitation of low-bandgap polymer:fullerene blends has recently been demonstrated, however, the precise mechanism and its impact on solar cell performance is still under debate. Here, we study exciton dissociation, charge carrier generation and triplet state formation in low-bandgap polymer PBDTTT-C:PC60BM bulk heterojunction photovoltaic blends by a combination of fs-µs broadband Vis-NIR transient absorption (TA) pump-probe spectroscopy and multivariate curve resolution (MCR) data analysis. We found sub-ps exciton dissociation and charge generation followed by sub-ns triplet state creation. The carrier dynamics and triplet state dynamics exhibited a very pronounced intensity dependence indicating non-geminate recombination of free carriers is the origin of triplet formation in these blends. Triplets were found to be the dominant state present on the nanosecond timescale. Surprisingly, the carrier population increased again on the ns-µs timescale. We attribute this to triplet-triplet annihilation and the formation of higher energy excited states that subsequently underwent charge transfer. This unique dip and recovery of the charge population is a clear indication that triplets are formed by non-geminate recombination, as such a kinetic is incompatible with a monomolecular triplet state formation process.

Reduced Charge Transfer Exciton Recombination in Organic Semiconductor Heterojunctions by Molecular Doping

Science.gov (United States)

Deschler, Felix; da Como, Enrico; Limmer, Thomas; Tautz, Raphael; Godde, Tillmann; Bayer, Manfred; von Hauff, Elizabeth; Yilmaz, Seyfullah; Allard, Sybille; Scherf, Ullrich; Feldmann, Jochen

2011-09-01

We investigate the effect of molecular doping on the recombination of electrons and holes localized at conjugated-polymer-fullerene interfaces. We demonstrate that a low concentration of p-type dopant molecules (<4% weight) reduces the interfacial recombination via charge transfer excitons and results in a favored formation of separated carriers. This is observed by the ultrafast quenching of photoluminescence from charge transfer excitons and the increase in photoinduced polaron density by ˜70%. The results are consistent with a reduced formation of emissive charge transfer excitons, induced by state filling of tail states.

Interface recombination influence on carrier transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Konin, A

2013-01-01

A theory of interface recombination in the semiconductor–semiconductor junction is developed. The interface recombination rate dependence on the nonequilibrium carrier densities is derived on the basis of a model in which the interface recombination occurs through the mechanism of trapping. The general relation between the interface recombination parameters at small carrier density deviation from the equilibrium ones is obtained. The validity of this relation is proved considering the generation of the Hall electric field in the extrinsic semiconductor sample. The anomalous Hall electromotive force in a weak magnetic field was investigated and interpreted by means of a new interface recombination model. The experimental data corroborate the developed theory. (paper)

Charge transport and recombination dynamics in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baumann, Andreas

2011-08-02

The charge transport in disordered organic bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells is a crucial process affecting the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the solar cell. With the need of synthesizing new materials for improving the power conversion efficiency of those cells it is important to study not only the photophysical but also the electrical properties of the new material classes. Thereby, the experimental techniques need to be applicable to operating solar cells. In this work, the conventional methods of transient photoconductivity (also known as ''Time-of-Flight'' (TOF)), as well as the transient charge extraction technique of ''Charge Carrier Extraction by Linearly Increasing Voltage'' (CELIV) are performed on different organic blend compositions. Especially with the latter it is feasible to study the dynamics - i.e. charge transport and charge carrier recombination - in bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells with active layer thicknesses of 100-200 nm. For a well performing organic BHJ solar cells the morphology is the most crucial parameter finding a trade-off between an efficient photogeneration of charge carriers and the transport of the latter to the electrodes. Besides the morphology, the nature of energetic disorder of the active material blend and its influence on the dynamics are discussed extensively in this work. Thereby, the material system of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C{sub 61}butyric acid methyl ester (PC{sub 61}BM) serves mainly as a reference material system. New promising donor or acceptor materials and their potential for application in organic photovoltaics are studied in view of charge dynamics and compared with the reference system. With the need for commercialization of organic solar cells the question of the impact of environmental conditions on the PCE of the solar cells raises. In this work, organic BHJ solar cells exposed to synthetic air for finite duration are

Modulation of Charge Recombination in CsPbBr3 Perovskite Films with Electrochemical Bias

KAUST Repository

Scheidt, Rebecca A

2017-11-13

The charging of mesoscopic TiO2 layer in a metal halide perovskite solar cell can influence the overall power conversion efficiency. By employing CsPbBr3 films deposited on a mesoscopic TiO2 film, we have succeeded in probing the influence of electrochemical bias on the charge carrier recombination process. The transient absorption spectroscopy experiments conducted at different applied potentials indicate a decrease in the charge carrier lifetimes of CsPbBr3 as we increase the potential from -0.6 V to + 0.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl. The charge carrier lifetime increased upon reversing the applied bias, thus indicating the reversibility of the photoresponse to charging effects. The ultrafast spectroelectrochemical experiments described here offer a convenient approach to probe the charging effects in perovskite solar cells.

Modulation of Charge Recombination in CsPbBr3 Perovskite Films with Electrochemical Bias.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheidt, Rebecca A; Samu, Gergely F; Janáky, Csaba; Kamat, Prashant V

2018-01-10

The charging of a mesoscopic TiO 2 layer in a metal halide perovskite solar cell can influence the overall power conversion efficiency. By employing CsPbBr 3 films deposited on a mesoscopic TiO 2 film, we have succeeded in probing the influence of electrochemical bias on the charge carrier recombination process. The transient absorption spectroscopy experiments conducted at different applied potentials indicate a decrease in the charge carrier lifetimes of CsPbBr 3 as we increase the potential from -0.6 to +0.6 V vs Ag/AgCl. The charge carrier lifetime increased upon reversing the applied bias, thus indicating the reversibility of the photoresponse to charging effects. The ultrafast spectroelectrochemical experiments described here offer a convenient approach to probe the charging effects in perovskite solar cells.

Charge Carrier Dynamics at Silver Nanocluster-Molecular Acceptor Interfaces

KAUST Repository

Almansaf, Abdulkhaleq

2017-07-01

A fundamental understanding of interfacial charge transfer at donor-acceptor interfaces is very crucial as it is considered among the most important dynamical processes for optimizing performance in many light harvesting systems, including photovoltaics and photo-catalysis. In general, the photo-generated singlet excitons in photoactive materials exhibit very short lifetimes because of their dipole-allowed spin radiative decay and short diffusion lengths. In contrast, the radiative decay of triplet excitons is dipole forbidden; therefore, their lifetimes are considerably longer. The discussion in this thesis primarily focuses on the relevant parameters that are involved in charge separation (CS), charge transfer (CT), intersystem crossing (ISC) rate, triplet state lifetime, and carrier recombination (CR) at silver nanocluster (NCs) molecular-acceptors interfaces. A combination of steady-state and femto- and nanosecond broadband transient absorption spectroscopies were used to investigate the charge carrier dynamics in various donor-acceptor systems. Additionally, this thesis was prolonged to investigate some important factors that influence the charge carrier dynamics in Ag29 silver NCs donor-acceptor systems, such as the metal doping and chemical structure of the nanocluster and molecular acceptors. Interestingly, clear correlations between the steady-state measurements and timeresolved spectroscopy results are found. In the first study, we have investigated the interfacial charge transfer dynamics in positively charged meso units of 5, 10, 15, 20-tetra (1- methyl-4-pyridino)-porphyrin tetra (p-toluene sulfonate) (TMPyP) and neutral charged 5, 10, 15, 20-tetra (4-pyridyl)-porphyrin (TPyP), with negatively charged undoped and gold (Au)- doped silver Ag29 NCs. Moreover, this study showed the impact of Au doping on the charge carrier dynamics of the system. In the second study, we have investigated the interfacial charge transfer dynamics in [Pt2 Ag23 Cl7 (PPh3

Semiconductor nanoparticles with spatial separation of charge carriers: synthesis and optical properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasiliev, Roman B; Dirin, Dmitry N; Gaskov, Alexander M

2011-01-01

The results of studies on core/shell semiconductor nanoparticles with spatial separation of photoexcited charge carriers are analyzed and generalized. Peculiarities of the electronic properties of semiconductor/semiconductor heterojunctions formed inside such particles are considered. Data on the effect of spatial separation of charge carriers on the optical properties of nanoparticles including spectral shifts of the exciton bands, absorption coefficients and electron–hole pair recombination times are presented. Methods of synthesis of core/shell semiconductor nanoparticles in solutions are discussed. Specific features of the optical properties of anisotropic semiconductor nanoparticles with the semiconductor/semiconductor junctions are noted. The bibliography includes 165 references.

Charge carrier recombination channels in the low-temperature phase of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Wehrenfennig, Christian; Liu, Mingzhen; Snaith, Henry J.; Johnston, Michael B.; Herz, Laura M.

2014-08-01

The optoelectronic properties of the mixed hybrid lead halide perovskite CH3NH3PbI3-xClx have been subject to numerous recent studies related to its extraordinary capabilities as an absorber material in thin film solar cells. While the greatest part of the current research concentrates on the behavior of the perovskite at room temperature, the observed influence of phonon-coupling and excitonic effects on charge carrier dynamics suggests that low-temperature phenomena can give valuable additional insights into the underlying physics. Here, we present a temperature-dependent study of optical absorption and photoluminescence (PL) emission of vapor-deposited CH3NH3PbI3-xClx exploring the nature of recombination channels in the room- and the low-temperature phase of the material. On cooling, we identify an up-shift of the absorption onset by about 0.1 eV at about 100 K, which is likely to correspond to the known tetragonal-to-orthorhombic transition of the pure halide CH3NH3PbI3. With further decreasing temperature, a second PL emission peak emerges in addition to the peak from the room-temperature phase. The transition on heating is found to occur at about 140 K, i.e., revealing significant hysteresis in the system. While PL decay lifetimes are found to be independent of temperature above the transition, significantly accelerated recombination is observed in the low-temperature phase. Our data suggest that small inclusions of domains adopting the room-temperature phase are responsible for this behavior rather than a spontaneous increase in the intrinsic rate constants. These observations show that even sparse lower-energy sites can have a strong impact on material performance, acting as charge recombination centres that may detrimentally affect photovoltaic performance but that may also prove useful for optoelectronic applications such as lasing by enhancing population inversion.

Understanding charge transport and recombination losses in high performance polymer solar cells with non-fullerene acceptors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Xuning [HEEGER Beijing Research & Development Center; School of Chemistry; Beihang University; Beijing 100191; China; Zuo, Xiaobing [X-ray Science Division; Argonne National Laboratory; Argonne; USA; Xie, Shenkun [HEEGER Beijing Research & Development Center; School of Chemistry; Beihang University; Beijing 100191; China; Yuan, Jianyu [Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials & Devices; Institute of Functional Nano & Soft Materials (FUNSOM); Soochow University; Suzhou; P. R. China; Zhou, Huiqiong [CAS Key Laboratory of Nanosystem and Hierarchical Fabrication; CAS Center for Excellence in Nanoscience; National Center for Nanoscience and Technology; Beijing 100190; China; Zhang, Yuan [HEEGER Beijing Research & Development Center; School of Chemistry; Beihang University; Beijing 100191; China

2017-01-01

Photovoltaic characteristics, recombination and charge transport properties are investigated. The determined recombination reduction factor can reconcile the supreme device performance in organic solar cells using non-fullerene ITIC acceptor and severe carrier losses in all-polymer devices with P(NDI2OD-T2).

CT-state dissociation and charge recombination in OPVs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haeusermann, Roger; Reinke, Nils; Huber, Evelyne; Ruhstaller, Beat [ZHAW, Inst. of Computational Physics, Winterthur (Switzerland); Flatz, Thomas; Moos, Michael [Fluxim AG (Germany)

2009-07-01

The dissociation of the charge-transfer-state (CT) into free charge carriers is a very important process in the modeling of OPVs. A theoretical description of this mechanism has been developed by Onsager and Braun. The implications of this theory in real OPVs is not completely clear. Recently there was the proposition to reduce the whole device physics to the mechanisms at the donor-acceptor interface. This has been verified for a wide range of OPV materials, but it also raises questions about the universality of this simplification. In this study we developed a comprehensive device simulator. Our simulations have shown that a good agreement with measured J-V curves can be found by omitting any dissociation mechanism but at the same time increasing the influence of the Langevin recombination. This shows that distinct features of J-V curves are multi-causal and therefore a simplification by leaving out some of the mechanisms leads to an overestimation of the influence of other processes. We present the influence of the input parameters (CT-state dissociation, recombination and mobility) on the J-V curves and discuss in detail where and if each parameter can be seen separately in the shape of the J-V curve. The contributions of the different loss mechanisms, namely decay of excitons and CT-states as well as charge recombination will be addressed as function of material properties.

The Role of Polymer Fractionation in Energetic Losses and Charge Carrier Lifetimes of Polymer: Fullerene Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Baran, Derya

2015-08-10

Non-radiative recombination reduces the open-circuit voltage relative to its theoretical limit and leads to reduced luminescence emission at a given excitation. Therefore it is possible to correlate changes in luminescence emission with changes in open-circuit voltage and in the charge carrier lifetime. Here we use luminescence studies combined with transient photovoltage and differential charging analyses to study the effect of polymer fractionation in indacenoedithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole (IDTBT):fullerene solar cells. In this system, polymer fractionation increases electroluminescence and reduces non-radiative recombination. High molecular weight and fractionated IDTBT polymers exhibit higher carrier lifetime-mobility product compared to their non-fractionated analogues, resulting in improved solar cell performance.

The Role of Polymer Fractionation in Energetic Losses and Charge Carrier Lifetimes of Polymer: Fullerene Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Baran, Derya; Vezie, Michelle S; Gasparini, Nicola; Deledalle, Florent; Yao, Jizhong; Schroeder, Bob C.; Bronstein, Hugo; Ameri, Tayebeh; Kirchartz, Thomas; McCulloch, Iain; Nelson, Jenny; Brabec, Christoph J

2015-01-01

Non-radiative recombination reduces the open-circuit voltage relative to its theoretical limit and leads to reduced luminescence emission at a given excitation. Therefore it is possible to correlate changes in luminescence emission with changes in open-circuit voltage and in the charge carrier lifetime. Here we use luminescence studies combined with transient photovoltage and differential charging analyses to study the effect of polymer fractionation in indacenoedithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole (IDTBT):fullerene solar cells. In this system, polymer fractionation increases electroluminescence and reduces non-radiative recombination. High molecular weight and fractionated IDTBT polymers exhibit higher carrier lifetime-mobility product compared to their non-fractionated analogues, resulting in improved solar cell performance.

Efficient carrier relaxation and fast carrier recombination of N-polar InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feng, Shih-Wei; Liao, Po-Hsun; Leung, Benjamin; Han, Jung; Yang, Fann-Wei; Wang, Hsiang-Chen

2015-01-01

Based on quantum efficiency and time-resolved electroluminescence measurements, the effects of carrier localization and quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) on carrier transport and recombination dynamics of Ga- and N-polar InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are reported. The N-polar LED exhibits shorter ns-scale response, rising, delay, and recombination times than the Ga-polar one does. Stronger carrier localization and the combined effects of suppressed QCSE and electric field and lower potential barrier acting upon the forward bias in an N-polar LED provide the advantages of more efficient carrier relaxation and faster carrier recombination. By optimizing growth conditions to enhance the radiative recombination, the advantages of more efficient carrier relaxation and faster carrier recombination in a competitive performance N-polar LED can be realized for applications of high-speed flash LEDs. The research results provide important information for carrier transport and recombination dynamics of an N-polar InGaN/GaN LED

Efficient carrier relaxation and fast carrier recombination of N-polar InGaN/GaN light emitting diodes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Feng, Shih-Wei, E-mail: swfeng@nuk.edu.tw; Liao, Po-Hsun [Department of Applied Physics, National University of Kaohsiung, No. 700, Kaohsiung University Rd., Nan Tzu Dist., 811 Kaohsiung, Taiwan (China); Leung, Benjamin; Han, Jung [Department of Electrical Engineering, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520 (United States); Yang, Fann-Wei [Department of Electronic Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan (China); Wang, Hsiang-Chen [Graduate Institute of Opto-Mechatronics and Advanced Institute of Manufacturing with High-Tech Innovations (AIM-HI), National Chung Cheng University, Chia-Yi, Taiwan (China)

2015-07-28

Based on quantum efficiency and time-resolved electroluminescence measurements, the effects of carrier localization and quantum-confined Stark effect (QCSE) on carrier transport and recombination dynamics of Ga- and N-polar InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are reported. The N-polar LED exhibits shorter ns-scale response, rising, delay, and recombination times than the Ga-polar one does. Stronger carrier localization and the combined effects of suppressed QCSE and electric field and lower potential barrier acting upon the forward bias in an N-polar LED provide the advantages of more efficient carrier relaxation and faster carrier recombination. By optimizing growth conditions to enhance the radiative recombination, the advantages of more efficient carrier relaxation and faster carrier recombination in a competitive performance N-polar LED can be realized for applications of high-speed flash LEDs. The research results provide important information for carrier transport and recombination dynamics of an N-polar InGaN/GaN LED.

Effects of low charge carrier wave function overlap on internal quantum efficiency in GaInN quantum wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Netzel, Carsten; Hoffmann, Veit; Wernicke, Tim; Knauer, Arne; Weyers, Markus [Ferdinand-Braun-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Kneissl, Michael [Ferdinand-Braun-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Technische Universitaet Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, 10623 Berlin (Germany)

2010-07-15

To determine relevant processes affecting the internal quantum efficiency in GaInN quantum well structures, we have studied the temperature and excitation power dependent photoluminescence intensity for quantum wells with different well widths on (0001) c-plane GaN and for quantum wells on nonpolar (11-20) a-plane GaN. In thick polar quantum wells, the quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) causes a stronger intensity decrease with increasing temperature as long as the radiative recombination dominates. At higher temperatures, when the nonradiative recombination becomes more important, thick polar quantum wells feature a lower relative intensity decrease than thinner polar or nonpolar quantum wells. Excitation power dependent photoluminescence points to a transition from a recombination of excitons to a bimolecular recombination of uncorrelated charge carriers for thick polar quantum wells in the same temperature range. This transition might contribute to the limitation of nonradiative recombination by a reduced diffusivity of charge carriers. (copyright 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Charge carrier recombination channels in the low-temperature phase of organic-inorganic lead halide perovskite thin films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Wehrenfennig

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The optoelectronic properties of the mixed hybrid lead halide perovskite CH3NH3PbI3−xClx have been subject to numerous recent studies related to its extraordinary capabilities as an absorber material in thin film solar cells. While the greatest part of the current research concentrates on the behavior of the perovskite at room temperature, the observed influence of phonon-coupling and excitonic effects on charge carrier dynamics suggests that low-temperature phenomena can give valuable additional insights into the underlying physics. Here, we present a temperature-dependent study of optical absorption and photoluminescence (PL emission of vapor-deposited CH3NH3PbI3−xClx exploring the nature of recombination channels in the room- and the low-temperature phase of the material. On cooling, we identify an up-shift of the absorption onset by about 0.1 eV at about 100 K, which is likely to correspond to the known tetragonal-to-orthorhombic transition of the pure halide CH3NH3PbI3. With further decreasing temperature, a second PL emission peak emerges in addition to the peak from the room-temperature phase. The transition on heating is found to occur at about 140 K, i.e., revealing significant hysteresis in the system. While PL decay lifetimes are found to be independent of temperature above the transition, significantly accelerated recombination is observed in the low-temperature phase. Our data suggest that small inclusions of domains adopting the room-temperature phase are responsible for this behavior rather than a spontaneous increase in the intrinsic rate constants. These observations show that even sparse lower-energy sites can have a strong impact on material performance, acting as charge recombination centres that may detrimentally affect photovoltaic performance but that may also prove useful for optoelectronic applications such as lasing by enhancing population inversion.

Revealing the ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in organo metal halide perovskite solar cell materials using time resolved THz spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Ponseca, C. S., Jr.; Sundström, V.

2016-03-01

Ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in organo metal halide perovskite has been probed using time resolved terahertz (THz) spectroscopy (TRTS). Current literature on its early time characteristics is unanimous: sub-ps charge carrier generation, highly mobile charges and very slow recombination rationalizing the exceptionally high power conversion efficiency for a solution processed solar cell material. Electron injection from MAPbI3 to nanoparticles (NP) of TiO2 is found to be sub-ps while Al2O3 NPs do not alter charge dynamics. Charge transfer to organic electrodes, Spiro-OMeTAD and PCBM, is sub-ps and few hundreds of ps respectively, which is influenced by the alignment of energy bands. It is surmised that minimizing defects/trap states is key in optimizing charge carrier extraction from these materials.

Solid state cloaking for electrical charge carrier mobility control

Science.gov (United States)

Zebarjadi, Mona; Liao, Bolin; Esfarjani, Keivan; Chen, Gang

2015-07-07

An electrical mobility-controlled material includes a solid state host material having a controllable Fermi energy level and electrical charge carriers with a charge carrier mobility. At least one Fermi level energy at which a peak in charge carrier mobility is to occur is prespecified for the host material. A plurality of particles are distributed in the host material, with at least one particle disposed with an effective mass and a radius that minimize scattering of the electrical charge carriers for the at least one prespecified Fermi level energy of peak charge carrier mobility. The minimized scattering of electrical charge carriers produces the peak charge carrier mobility only at the at least one prespecified Fermi level energy, set by the particle effective mass and radius, the charge carrier mobility being less than the peak charge carrier mobility at Fermi level energies other than the at least one prespecified Fermi level energy.

Superposition Principle in Auger Recombination of Charged and Neutral Multicarrier States in Semiconductor Quantum Dots.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Kaifeng; Lim, Jaehoon; Klimov, Victor I

2017-08-22

Application of colloidal semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) in optical and optoelectronic devices is often complicated by unintentional generation of extra charges, which opens fast nonradiative Auger recombination pathways whereby the recombination energy of an exciton is quickly transferred to the extra carrier(s) and ultimately dissipated as heat. Previous studies of Auger recombination have primarily focused on neutral and, more recently, negatively charged multicarrier states. Auger dynamics of positively charged species remains more poorly explored due to difficulties in creating, stabilizing, and detecting excess holes in the QDs. Here we apply photochemical doping to prepare both negatively and positively charged CdSe/CdS QDs with two distinct core/shell interfacial profiles ("sharp" versus "smooth"). Using neutral and charged QD samples we evaluate Auger lifetimes of biexcitons, negative and positive trions (an exciton with an extra electron or a hole, respectively), and multiply negatively charged excitons. Using these measurements, we demonstrate that Auger decay of both neutral and charged multicarrier states can be presented as a superposition of independent elementary three-particle Auger events. As one of the manifestations of the superposition principle, we observe that the biexciton Auger decay rate can be presented as a sum of the Auger rates for independent negative and positive trion pathways. By comparing the measurements on the QDs with the "sharp" versus "smooth" interfaces, we also find that while affecting the absolute values of Auger lifetimes, manipulation of the shape of the confinement potential does not lead to violation of the superposition principle, which still allows us to accurately predict the biexciton Auger lifetimes based on the measured negative and positive trion dynamics. These findings indicate considerable robustness of the superposition principle as applied to Auger decay of charged and neutral multicarrier states

A comparative theoretical study of exciton-dissociation and charge-recombination processes in oligothiophene/fullerene and oligothiophene/perylenediimide complexes for organic solar cells

KAUST Repository

Yi, Yuanping; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Bré das, Jean-Luc

2011-01-01

) is faster than that in the fullerene-based devices and (ii) in most cases, can compete with the dissociation of the charge-transfer state into mobile charge carriers. This faster charge-recombination process is consistent with the lower performance observed

Transient optical studies of charge recombination dynamics in a polymer/fullerene composite at room temperature

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Montanari, Ivan; Nogueira, Ana F.; Nelson, Jenny; Durrant, James R.; Winder, Christoph; Loi, Maria Antonietta; Sariciftci, Niyazi Serdar; Brabec, Christoph

2002-01-01

The recombination kinetics of photogenerated charge carriers in a composite of poly[2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1-4-phenylene vinylene], (MDMO–PPV) and the functionalised fullerene 1-(3-methoxycarbonyl)-propyl-1-phenyl-(6,6)C61 are investigated at room temperature by transient absorption

A comparative study on charge carrier recombination across the junction region of Cu2ZnSn(S,Se4 and Cu(In,GaSe2 thin film solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammad Abdul Halim

2016-03-01

Full Text Available A comparative study with focusing on carrier recombination properties in Cu2ZnSn(S,Se4 (CZTSSe and the CuInGaSe2 (CIGS solar cells has been carried out. For this purpose, electroluminescence (EL and also bias-dependent time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL using femtosecond (fs laser source were performed. For the similar forward current density, the EL-intensity of the CZTSSe sample was obtained significantly lower than that of the CIGS sample. Primarily, it can be attributed to the existence of excess amount of non-radiative recombination center in the CZTSSe, and/or CZTSSe/CdS interface comparing to that of CIGS sample. In case of CIGS sample, TRPL decay time was found to increase with the application of forward-bias. This can be attributed to the reduced charge separation rate resulting from the reduced electric-field at the junction. However, in CZTSSe sample, TRPL decay time has been found almost independent under the forward and reverse-bias conditions. This phenomenon indicates that the charge recombination rate strongly dominates over the charge separation rate across the junction of the CZTSSe sample. Finally, temperature dependent VOC suggests that interface related recombination in the CZTSSe solar cell structure might be one of the major factors that affect EL-intensity and also, TRPL decay curves.

Charge Carrier Transport and Photogeneration in P3HT:PCBM Photovoltaic Blends

KAUST Repository

Laquai, Frederic

2015-05-03

This article reviews the charge transport and photogeneration in bulk-heterojunction solar cells made from blend films of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT) and methano­fullerene (PCBM). The charge transport, specifically the hole mobility in the RR-P3HT phase of the polymer:fullerene photovoltaic blend, is dramatically affected by thermal annealing. The hole mobility increases more than three orders of magnitude and reaches a value of up to 2 × 10−4 cm2 V−1 s−1 after the thermal annealing process as a result of an improved semi-crystallinity of the film. This significant increase of the hole mobility balances the electron and hole mobilities in a photovoltaic blend in turn reducing space-charge formation, and this is the most important factor for the strong enhancement of the photovoltaic efficiency compared to an as cast, that is, non-annealed device. In fact, the balanced charge carrier mobility in RR-P3HT:PCBM blends in combination with a field- and temperature-independent charge carrier generation and greatly reduced non-geminate recombination explains the large quantum efficiencies mea­sured in P3HT:PCBM photovoltaic devices.

Initial recombination in the track of heavy charged particles: Numerical solution for air filled ionization chambers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaiser, Franz-Joachim; Bassler, Niels; Tölli, Heikki

2012-01-01

). The investigated charge carrier distributions are based on track structure models, which follow a 1/r2 behavior at larger radii and show a constant value at small radii. The results of the calculations are compared to the initial formulation and to data obtained in experiments using carbon ion beams. Results...... The comparison between the experimental data and the calculations shows that the initial approach made by Jaffe is able to reproduce the effects of initial recombination. The amorphous track structure based charge carrier distribution do not reproduce the experimental data well. A small additional correction...

Charge carrier dynamics investigation of CuInS{sub 2} quantum dots films using injected charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage (i-CELIV): the role of ZnS Shell

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bi, Ke; Sui, Ning; Zhang, Liquan; Wang, Yinghui, E-mail: yinghui-wang@outlook.com; Liu, Qinghui, E-mail: liuqinghui@jlu.edu.cn; Tan, Mingrui [Jilin University, Femtosecond Laser Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics (China); Zhou, Qiang [Jilin University, Key Laboratory of Superhard Materials, College of Physics (China); Zhang, Hanzhuang, E-mail: zhanghz@jlu.edu.cn [Jilin University, Femtosecond Laser Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Physics and Technology for Advanced Batteries (Ministry of Education), College of Physics (China)

2016-12-15

The role of ZnS shell on the photo-physical properties within CuInS{sub 2}/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) is carefully studied in optoelectronic devices. Linearly increasing voltage technique has been employed to investigate the charge carrier dynamics of both CuInS{sub 2} and CuInS{sub 2}/ZnS QDs films. This study shows that charge carriers follow a similar behavior of monomolecular recombination in this film, with their charge transfer rate correlates to the increase of applied voltage. It turns out that the ZnS shell could affect the carrier diffusion process through depressing the trapping states and would build up a potential barrier.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in tetrahedral amorphous carbon: carrier trapping versus electron-hole recombination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carpene, E; Mancini, E; Dallera, C; Schwen, D; Ronning, C; Silvestri, S De

2007-01-01

We report the investigation of the ultrafast carrier dynamics in thin tetrahedral amorphous carbon films by means of femtosecond time-resolved reflectivity. We estimated the electron-phonon relaxation time of a few hundred femtoseconds and we observed that under low optical excitation photo-generated carriers decay according to two distinct mechanisms attributed to trapping by defect states and direct electron-hole recombination. With high excitation, when photo-carrier and trap densities are comparable, a unique temporal evolution develops, as the time dependence of the trapping process becomes degenerate with the electron-hole recombination. This experimental evidence highlights the role of defects in the ultrafast electronic dynamics and is not specific to this particular form of carbon, but has general validity for amorphous and disordered semiconductors

The Impact of Donor-Acceptor Phase Separation on the Charge Carrier Dynamics in pBTTT:PCBM Photovoltaic Blends

KAUST Repository

Gehrig, Dominik W.; Howard, Ian A.; Sweetnam, Sean; Burke, Timothy M.; McGehee, Michael D.; Laquai, Fré dé ric

2015-01-01

The effect of donor–acceptor phase separation, controlled by the donor–acceptor mixing ratio, on the charge generation and recombination dynamics in pBTTT-C14:PC70BM bulk heterojunction photovoltaic blends is presented. Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy spanning the dynamic range from pico- to microseconds in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions reveals that in a 1:1 blend exciton dissociation is ultrafast; however, charges cannot entirely escape their mutual Coulomb attraction and thus predominantly recombine geminately on a sub-ns timescale. In contrast, a polymer:fullerene mixing ratio of 1:4 facilitates the formation of spatially separated, that is free, charges and reduces substantially the fraction of geminate charge recombination, in turn leading to much more efficient photovoltaic devices. This illustrates that spatially extended donor or acceptor domains are required for the separation of charges on an ultrafast timescale (<100 fs), indicating that they are not only important for efficient charge transport and extraction, but also critically influence the initial stages of free charge carrier formation.

The Impact of Donor-Acceptor Phase Separation on the Charge Carrier Dynamics in pBTTT:PCBM Photovoltaic Blends

KAUST Repository

Gehrig, Dominik W.

2015-04-07

The effect of donor–acceptor phase separation, controlled by the donor–acceptor mixing ratio, on the charge generation and recombination dynamics in pBTTT-C14:PC70BM bulk heterojunction photovoltaic blends is presented. Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy spanning the dynamic range from pico- to microseconds in the visible and near-infrared spectral regions reveals that in a 1:1 blend exciton dissociation is ultrafast; however, charges cannot entirely escape their mutual Coulomb attraction and thus predominantly recombine geminately on a sub-ns timescale. In contrast, a polymer:fullerene mixing ratio of 1:4 facilitates the formation of spatially separated, that is free, charges and reduces substantially the fraction of geminate charge recombination, in turn leading to much more efficient photovoltaic devices. This illustrates that spatially extended donor or acceptor domains are required for the separation of charges on an ultrafast timescale (<100 fs), indicating that they are not only important for efficient charge transport and extraction, but also critically influence the initial stages of free charge carrier formation.

The interplay of morphology and carrier recombination in dendrimer-based organic photovoltaics.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaheen, Sean; Kopidakis, Nikos; Mitchell, William; Rance, William; van de Lagemaat, Jao; Rumbles, Garry

2007-03-01

Pi-conjugated dendrimers provide an alternative to polymers in organic photovoltaic devices that allow for systematic study of how the molecular structure affects the morphology of the donor and acceptor components and subsequently how the device operates. The degree of mixing and specific geometry of the donor-acceptor blend play a determining role in the rate of exciton dissociation as well as the efficacy of charge transport out of the active layer. We find that pi-conjugated dendrimers are more miscible with the fullerene-derivative acceptor than their polymeric counterparts, which leads to smaller domains than are commonly found in polymer-fullerene blends. Here we discuss how these differing morphologies affect exciton dissociation, carrier transport, and carrier recombination in the devices.

A comparative theoretical study of exciton-dissociation and charge-recombination processes in oligothiophene/fullerene and oligothiophene/perylenediimide complexes for organic solar cells

KAUST Repository

Yi, Yuanping

2011-01-01

The exciton-dissociation and charge-recombination processes in donor-acceptor complexes found in α-sexithienyl/C60 and α-sexithienyl/perylenetetracarboxydiimide (PDI) solar cells are investigated by means of quantum-chemical methods. The electronic couplings and exciton-dissociation and charge-recombination rates have been evaluated for various configurations of the complexes. The results suggest that the decay of the lowest charge-transfer state to the ground state in the PDI-based devices: (i) is faster than that in the fullerene-based devices and (ii) in most cases, can compete with the dissociation of the charge-transfer state into mobile charge carriers. This faster charge-recombination process is consistent with the lower performance observed experimentally for the devices using PDI derivatives as the acceptor. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Excited state and charge-carrier dynamics in perovskite solar cell materials

Science.gov (United States)

Ponseca, Carlito S., Jr.; Tian, Yuxi; Sundström, Villy; Scheblykin, Ivan G.

2016-02-01

Organo-metal halide perovskites (OMHPs) have attracted enormous interest in recent years as materials for application in optoelectronics and solar energy conversion. These hybrid semiconductors seem to have the potential to challenge traditional silicon technology. In this review we will give an account of the recent development in the understanding of the fundamental light-induced processes in OMHPs from charge-photo generation, migration of charge carries through the materials and finally their recombination. Our and other literature reports on time-resolved conductivity, transient absorption and photoluminescence properties are used to paint a picture of how we currently see the fundamental excited state and charge-carrier dynamics. We will also show that there is still no fully coherent picture of the processes in OMHPs and we will indicate the problems to be solved by future research.

Charge carrier transport and photogeneration in P3HT:PCBM photovoltaic blends.

Science.gov (United States)

Laquai, Frédéric; Andrienko, Denis; Mauer, Ralf; Blom, Paul W M

2015-06-01

This article reviews the charge transport and photogeneration in bulk-heterojunction solar cells made from blend films of regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene) (RR-P3HT) and methano-fullerene (PCBM). The charge transport, specifically the hole mobility in the RR-P3HT phase of the polymer:fullerene photovoltaic blend, is dramatically affected by thermal annealing. The hole mobility increases more than three orders of magnitude and reaches a value of up to 2 × 10(-4) cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) after the thermal annealing process as a result of an improved semi-crystallinity of the film. This significant increase of the hole mobility balances the electron and hole mobilities in a photovoltaic blend in turn reducing space-charge formation, and this is the most important factor for the strong enhancement of the photovoltaic efficiency compared to an as cast, that is, non-annealed device. In fact, the balanced charge carrier mobility in RR-P3HT:PCBM blends in combination with a field- and temperature-independent charge carrier generation and greatly reduced non-geminate recombination explains the large quantum efficiencies mea-sured in P3HT:PCBM photovoltaic devices. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Direct femtosecond observation of charge carrier recombination in ternary semiconductor nanocrystals: The effect of composition and shelling

KAUST Repository

Bose, Riya

2015-02-12

Heavy-metal free ternary semiconductor nanocrystals are emerging as key materials in photoactive applications. However, the relative abundance of intra-bandgap defect states and lack of understanding of their origins within this class of nanocrystals are major factors limiting their applicability. To remove these undesirable defect states which considerably shorten the lifetimes of photogenerated excited carriers, a detailed understanding about their origin and nature is required. In this report, we monitor the ultrafast charge carrier dynamics of CuInS2 (CIS), CuInSSe (CISSe), and CuInSe2 (CISe) nanocrystals, before and after ZnS shelling, using state-of-the-art time-resolved laser spectroscopy with broadband capabilities. The experimental results demonstrate the presence of both electron and hole trapping intra-bandgap states in the nanocrystals which can be removed significantly by ZnS shelling, and the carrier dynamics is slowed down. Another important observation remains the reduction of carrier lifetime in the presence of Se, and the shelling strategy is observed to be less effective at suppressing trap states. This study provides quantitative physical insights into the role of anion composition and shelling on the charge carrier dynamics in ternary CIS, CISSe, and CISe nanocrystals which are essential to improve their applicability for photovoltaics and optoelectronics.

On the radiative recombination and tunneling of charge carriers in SiGe/Si heterostructures with double quantum wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yablonsky, A. N., E-mail: yablonsk@ipmras.ru; Zhukavin, R. Kh.; Bekin, N. A.; Novikov, A. V.; Yurasov, D. V.; Shaleev, M. V. [Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for Physics of Microstructures (Russian Federation)

2016-12-15

For SiGe/Si(001) epitaxial structures with two nonequivalent SiGe quantum wells separated by a thin Si barrier, the spectral and time characteristics of interband photoluminescence corresponding to the radiative recombination of excitons in quantum wells are studied. For a series of structures with two SiGe quantum wells different in width, the characteristic time of tunneling of charge carriers (holes) from the narrow quantum well, distinguished by a higher exciton recombination energy, to the wide quantum well is determined as a function of the Si barrier thickness. It is shown that the time of tunneling of holes between the Si{sub 0.8}5Ge{sub 0.15} layers with thicknesses of 3 and 9 nm steadily decreases from ~500 to <5 ns, as the Si barrier thickness is reduced from 16 to 8 nm. At intermediate Si barrier thicknesses, an increase in the photoluminescence signal from the wide quantum well is observed, with a characteristic time of the same order of magnitude as the luminescence decay time of the narrow quantum well. This supports the observation of the effect of the tunneling of holes from the narrow to the wide quantum well. A strong dependence of the tunneling time of holes on the Ge content in the SiGe layers at the same thickness of the Si barrier between quantum wells is observed, which is attributed to an increase in the effective Si barrier height.

Excited state and charge-carrier dynamics in perovskite solar cell materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponseca, Carlito S Jr; Tian, Yuxi; Sundström, Villy; Scheblykin, Ivan G

2016-01-01

Organo-metal halide perovskites (OMHPs) have attracted enormous interest in recent years as materials for application in optoelectronics and solar energy conversion. These hybrid semiconductors seem to have the potential to challenge traditional silicon technology. In this review we will give an account of the recent development in the understanding of the fundamental light-induced processes in OMHPs from charge-photo generation, migration of charge carries through the materials and finally their recombination. Our and other literature reports on time-resolved conductivity, transient absorption and photoluminescence properties are used to paint a picture of how we currently see the fundamental excited state and charge-carrier dynamics. We will also show that there is still no fully coherent picture of the processes in OMHPs and we will indicate the problems to be solved by future research. (topical review)

A comparative study on charge carrier recombination across the junction region of Cu{sub 2}ZnSn(S,Se){sub 4} and Cu(In,Ga)Se{sub 2} thin film solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Halim, Mohammad Abdul, E-mail: halimtsukuba2012@gmail.com; Islam, Muhammad Monirul; Luo, Xianjia; Sakurai, Takeaki; Akimoto, Katsuhiro [Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573 (Japan); Sakai, Noriyuki; Kato, Takuya; Sugimoto, Hiroki [Energy Solution Business Center, Showa Shell Sekiyu K.K., Minato, Tokyo 135-8074 (Japan); Tampo, Hitoshi; Shibata, Hajime; Niki, Shigeru [National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan)

2016-03-15

A comparative study with focusing on carrier recombination properties in Cu{sub 2}ZnSn(S,Se){sub 4} (CZTSSe) and the CuInGaSe{sub 2} (CIGS) solar cells has been carried out. For this purpose, electroluminescence (EL) and also bias-dependent time resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) using femtosecond (fs) laser source were performed. For the similar forward current density, the EL-intensity of the CZTSSe sample was obtained significantly lower than that of the CIGS sample. Primarily, it can be attributed to the existence of excess amount of non-radiative recombination center in the CZTSSe, and/or CZTSSe/CdS interface comparing to that of CIGS sample. In case of CIGS sample, TRPL decay time was found to increase with the application of forward-bias. This can be attributed to the reduced charge separation rate resulting from the reduced electric-field at the junction. However, in CZTSSe sample, TRPL decay time has been found almost independent under the forward and reverse-bias conditions. This phenomenon indicates that the charge recombination rate strongly dominates over the charge separation rate across the junction of the CZTSSe sample. Finally, temperature dependent V{sub OC} suggests that interface related recombination in the CZTSSe solar cell structure might be one of the major factors that affect EL-intensity and also, TRPL decay curves.

On the role of local charge carrier mobility in the charge separation mechanism of organic photovoltaics.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshikawa, Saya; Saeki, Akinori; Saito, Masahiko; Osaka, Itaru; Seki, Shu

2015-07-21

Although the charge separation (CS) and transport processes that compete with geminate and non-geminate recombination are commonly regarded as the governing factors of organic photovoltaic (OPV) efficiency, the details of the CS mechanism remain largely unexplored. Here we provide a systematic investigation on the role of local charge carrier mobility in bulk heterojunction films of ten different low-bandgap polymers and polythiophene analogues blended with methanofullerene (PCBM). By correlating with the OPV performances, we demonstrated that the local mobility of the blend measured by time-resolved microwave conductivity is more important for the OPV output than those of the pure polymers. Furthermore, the results revealed two separate trends for crystalline and semi-crystalline polymers. This work offers guidance in the design of high-performance organic solar cells.

Contactless Spectral-dependent Charge Carrier Lifetime Measurements in Silicon Photovoltaic Materials

Science.gov (United States)

Roller, John; Hamadani, Behrang; Dagenais, Mario

Charge carrier lifetime measurements in bulk or unfinished photovoltaic (PV) materials allow for a more accurate estimate of power conversion efficiency in completed solar cells. In this work, carrier lifetimes in PV-grade silicon wafers are obtained by way of quasi-steady state photoconductance measurements. These measurements use a contactless RF system coupled with varying narrow spectrum input LEDs, ranging in wavelength from 460 nm to 1030 nm. Spectral dependent lifetime measurements allow for determination of bulk and surface properties of the material, including the intrinsic bulk lifetime and the surface recombination velocity. The effective lifetimes are fit to an analytical physics-based model to determine the desired parameters. Passivated and non-passivated samples are both studied and are shown to have good agreement with the theoretical model.

Temperature and carrier-density dependence of Auger and radiative recombination in nitride optoelectronic devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kioupakis, Emmanouil; Yan, Qimin; Steiauf, Daniel; Van de Walle, Chris G

2013-01-01

Nitride light-emitting diodes are a promising solution for efficient solid-state lighting, but their performance at high power is affected by the efficiency-droop problem. Previous experimental and theoretical work has identified Auger recombination, a three-particle nonradiative carrier recombination mechanism, as the likely cause of the droop. In this work, we use first-principles calculations to elucidate the dependence of the radiative and Auger recombination rates on temperature, carrier density and quantum-well confinement. Our calculated data for the temperature dependence of the recombination coefficients are in good agreement with experiment and provide further validation on the role of Auger recombination in the efficiency reduction. Polarization fields and phase-space filling negatively impact device efficiency because they increase the operating carrier density at a given current density and increase the fraction of carriers lost to Auger recombination. (paper)

Solvent Vapor Annealing-Mediated Crystallization Directs Charge Generation, Recombination and Extraction in BHJ Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Babics, Maxime; Liang, Ru-Ze; Wang, Kai; Cruciani, Federico; Kan, Zhipeng; Wohlfahrt, Markus; Tang, Ming-Chun; Laquai, Fré dé ric; Beaujuge, Pierre

2017-01-01

Small-molecule (SM) donors that can be solution-processed with fullerene acceptors (e.g., PC61/71BM), or their “nonfullerene” counterparts, are proving particularly promising for the realization of high-efficiency bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. In several recent studies, solvent vapor annealing (SVA) protocols have been found to yield significant BHJ device efficiency improvements via structural changes in the active layer morphologies. However, the mechanisms by which active layer morphologies evolve when subjected to SVA treatments, and the structural factors impacting charge generation, carrier transport, recombination and extraction in BHJ solar cells with SM donors and fullerene acceptors, remain important aspects to be elucidated. In this report, we show that – in BHJ solar cells with SM donors and fullerene acceptors – selective crystallization promoted by SVA mediates the development of optimized morphologies across the active layers, setting domain sizes and boundaries. Examining BHJ solar cells subjected to various SVA exposure times, with BDT[2F]QdC as the SM donor and PC71BM as the acceptor, we connect those morphological changes to specific carrier effects, showing that crystal growth effectively directs charge generation and recombination. We find that the SM donor-pure domains growing at the expense of a mixed donor-acceptor phase play a determining role, establishing optimum networks with 10-20nm-sized domains during the SVA treatment. Longer SVA times result in highly textured active layers with crystalline domains that can exceed the lengthscale of exciton diffusion, while inducing detrimental vertical morphologies and deep carrier traps. Last, we emphasize the field-dependence charge generation occurring upon SVA-mediated crystallization and link this carrier effect to the mixed phase depletion across the BHJ active layer.

Solvent Vapor Annealing-Mediated Crystallization Directs Charge Generation, Recombination and Extraction in BHJ Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Babics, Maxime

2017-12-19

Small-molecule (SM) donors that can be solution-processed with fullerene acceptors (e.g., PC61/71BM), or their “nonfullerene” counterparts, are proving particularly promising for the realization of high-efficiency bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. In several recent studies, solvent vapor annealing (SVA) protocols have been found to yield significant BHJ device efficiency improvements via structural changes in the active layer morphologies. However, the mechanisms by which active layer morphologies evolve when subjected to SVA treatments, and the structural factors impacting charge generation, carrier transport, recombination and extraction in BHJ solar cells with SM donors and fullerene acceptors, remain important aspects to be elucidated. In this report, we show that – in BHJ solar cells with SM donors and fullerene acceptors – selective crystallization promoted by SVA mediates the development of optimized morphologies across the active layers, setting domain sizes and boundaries. Examining BHJ solar cells subjected to various SVA exposure times, with BDT[2F]QdC as the SM donor and PC71BM as the acceptor, we connect those morphological changes to specific carrier effects, showing that crystal growth effectively directs charge generation and recombination. We find that the SM donor-pure domains growing at the expense of a mixed donor-acceptor phase play a determining role, establishing optimum networks with 10-20nm-sized domains during the SVA treatment. Longer SVA times result in highly textured active layers with crystalline domains that can exceed the lengthscale of exciton diffusion, while inducing detrimental vertical morphologies and deep carrier traps. Last, we emphasize the field-dependence charge generation occurring upon SVA-mediated crystallization and link this carrier effect to the mixed phase depletion across the BHJ active layer.

Charge Carrier Trapping Processes in RE2O2S (RE = La, Gd, Y, and Lu)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Luo, H.; Bos, A.J.J.; Dorenbos, P.

2017-01-01

Two different charge carrier trapping processes have been investigated in RE2O2S:Ln3+ (RE = La, Gd, Y, and Lu; Ln = Ce, Pr, and Tb) and RE2O2S:M (M = Ti4+ and Eu3+). Cerium, praseodymium and terbium act as recombination centers and hole trapping centers while host intrinsic defects provide the

Charge-carrier mobilities in disordered semiconducting polymers : effects of carrier density and electric field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meisel, K.D.; Pasveer, W.F.; Cottaar, J.; Tanase, C.; Coehoorn, R.; Bobbert, P.A.; Blom, P.W.M.; Leeuw, D.M. de; Michels, M.A.J.

2006-01-01

We model charge transport in disordered semiconducting polymers by hopping of charge carriers on a square lattice of sites with Gaussian on-site energy disorder, using Fermi-Dirac statistics. From numerically exact solutions of the Master equation, we study the dependence of the charge-carrier

Charge carrier dynamics of methylammonium lead iodide: from PbI₂-rich to low-dimensional broadly emitting perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Klein, Johannes R; Flender, Oliver; Scholz, Mirko; Oum, Kawon; Lenzer, Thomas

2016-04-28

We provide an investigation of the charge carrier dynamics of the (MAI)(x)(PbI2)(1-x) system in the range x = 0.32-0.90 following the recently published "pseudobinary phase-composition processing diagram" of Song et al. (Chem. Mater., 2015, 27, 4612). The dynamics were studied using ultrafast pump-supercontinuum probe spectroscopy over the pump fluence range 2-50 μJ cm(-2), allowing for a wide variation of the initial carrier density. At high MAI excess (x = 0.90), low-dimensional perovskites (LDPs) are formed, and their luminescence spectra are significantly blue-shifted by ca. 50 nm and broadened compared to the 3D perovskite. The shift is due to quantum confinement effects, and the inhomogeneous broadening arises from different low-dimensional structures (predominantly 2D, but presumably also 1D and 0D). Accurate transient carrier temperatures are extracted from the transient absorption spectra. The regimes of carrier-carrier, carrier-optical phonon and acoustic phonon scattering are clearly distinguished. Perovskites with mole fractions x ≤ 0.71 exhibit extremely fast carrier cooling (ca. 300 fs) at low fluence of 2 μJ cm(-2), however cooling slows down significantly at high fluence of 50 μJ cm(-2) due to the "hot phonon effect" (ca. 2.8 ps). A kinetic analysis of the electron-hole recombination dynamics provides second-order recombination rate constants k2 which decrease from 5.3 to 1.5 × 10(-9) cm(3) s(-1) in the range x = 0.32-0.71. In contrast, recombination in the LDPs (x = 0.90) is more than one order of magnitude faster, 6.4 × 10(-8) cm(3) s(-1), which is related to the confined perovskite structure. Recombination in these LDPs should be however still slow enough for their potential application as efficient broadband emitters or solar light-harvesting materials.

Effects of High Temperature and Thermal Cycling on the Performance of Perovskite Solar Cells: Acceleration of Charge Recombination and Deterioration of Charge Extraction

KAUST Repository

Sheikh, Arif D.

2017-09-18

In this work, we investigated the effects of high operating temperature and thermal cycling on the photovoltaic performance of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with a typical mesostructured (m)-TiO2-CH3NH3PbI3-xClx-spiro-OMeTAD architecture. After carrying out temperature-dependent grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS), in-situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) and optical absorption experiments, thermal durability of PSCs was tested by subjecting the devices to repetitive heating to 70 °C and cooling to room temperature (20 °C). An unexpected regenerative effect was observed after the first thermal cycle; the average power conversion efficiency (PCE) increased by approximately 10 % in reference to the as-prepared device. This increase of PCE was attributed to the heating-induced improvement of crystallinity and p-doping in the hole-transporter, Spiro-OMeTAD, which promotes the efficient extraction of photo-generated carriers. However, further thermal cycles produced a detrimental effect on the photovoltaic performance of PSCs with short-circuit current and fill factor degrading faster than the open-circuit voltage. Similarly, the photovoltaic performance of PSCs degraded at high operation temperatures; both short-circuit current and open-circuit voltage decreased with increasing temperature, but the temperature-dependent trend of fill factor was opposite. Our impedance spectroscopy analysis revealed a monotonous increase of charge transfer resistance and a concurrent decrease of charge recombination resistance with increasing temperature, indicating high recombination of charge carriers. Our results revealed that both thermal cycling and high temperatures produce irreversible detrimental effects on the PSC performance due to the deteriorated interfacial photo-carrier extraction. The present findings suggest that development of robust charge transporters and proper interface engineering are critical for the deployment of perovskite photovoltaics in harsh

Interfacial Engineering and Charge Carrier Dynamics in Extremely Thin Absorber Solar Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Edley, Michael

Photovoltaic energy is a clean and renewable source of electricity; however, it faces resistance to widespread use due to cost. Nanostructuring decouples constraints related to light absorption and charge separation, potentially reducing cost by allowing a wider variety of processing techniques and materials to be used. However, the large interfacial areas also cause an increased dark current which negatively affects cell efficiency. This work focuses on extremely thin absorber (ETA) solar cells that used a ZnO nanowire array as a scaffold for an extremely thin CdSe absorber layer. Photoexcited electrons generated in the CdSe absorber are transferred to the ZnO layer, while photogenerated holes are transferred to the liquid electrolyte. The transfer of photoexcited carriers to their transport layer competes with bulk recombination in the absorber layer. After charge separation, transport of charge carriers to their respective contacts must occur faster than interfacial recombination for efficient collection. Charge separation and collection depend sensitively on the dimensions of the materials as well as their interfaces. We demonstrated that an optimal absorber thickness can balance light absorption and charge separation. By treating the ZnO/CdSe interface with a CdS buffer layer, we were able to improve the Voc and fill factor, increasing the ETA cell's efficiency from 0.53% to 1.34%, which is higher than that achievable using planar films of the same material. We have gained additional insight into designing ETA cells through the use of dynamic measurements. Ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy revealed that characteristic times for electron injection from CdSe to ZnO are less than 1 ps. Electron injection is rapid compared to the 2 ns bulk lifetime in CdSe. Optoelectronic measurements such as transient photocurrent/photovoltage and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were applied to study the processes of charge transport and interfacial recombination

Collision and recombination driven instabilities in variable charged ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The dust-acoustic instability driven by recombination of electrons and ions on the surface of charged and variably-charged dust grains as well as by collisions in dusty plasmas with significant pressure of background neutrals have been theoretically investigated. The recombination driven instability is shown to be dominant ...

Origin of long lifetime of band-edge charge carriers in organic-inorganic lead iodide perovskites.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Tianran; Chen, Wei-Liang; Foley, Benjamin J; Lee, Jooseop; Ruff, Jacob P C; Ko, J Y Peter; Brown, Craig M; Harriger, Leland W; Zhang, Depei; Park, Changwon; Yoon, Mina; Chang, Yu-Ming; Choi, Joshua J; Lee, Seung-Hun

2017-07-18

Long carrier lifetime is what makes hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites high-performance photovoltaic materials. Several microscopic mechanisms behind the unusually long carrier lifetime have been proposed, such as formation of large polarons, Rashba effect, ferroelectric domains, and photon recycling. Here, we show that the screening of band-edge charge carriers by rotation of organic cation molecules can be a major contribution to the prolonged carrier lifetime. Our results reveal that the band-edge carrier lifetime increases when the system enters from a phase with lower rotational entropy to another phase with higher entropy. These results imply that the recombination of the photoexcited electrons and holes is suppressed by the screening, leading to the formation of polarons and thereby extending the lifetime. Thus, searching for organic-inorganic perovskites with high rotational entropy over a wide range of temperature may be a key to achieve superior solar cell performance.

Exciton-dissociation and charge-recombination processes in pentacene/C60 solar cells: theoretical insight into the impact of interface geometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, Yuanping; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Brédas, Jean-Luc

2009-11-04

The exciton-dissociation and charge-recombination processes in organic solar cells based on pentacene/C(60) heterojunctions are investigated by means of quantum-mechanical calculations. The electronic couplings and the rates of exciton dissociation and charge recombination have been evaluated for several geometrical configurations of the pentacene/C(60) complex, which are relevant to bilayer and bulk heterojunctions. The results suggest that, irrespective of the actual pentacene-fullerene orientation, both pentacene-based and C(60)-based excitons are able to dissociate efficiently. Also, in the case of parallel configurations of the molecules at the pentacene/C(60) interface, the decay of the lowest charge-transfer state to the ground state is calculated to be very fast; as a result, it can compete with the dissociation process into mobile charge carriers. Since parallel configurations are expected to be found more frequently in bulk heterojunctions than in bilayer heterojunctions, the performance of pentacene/C(60) bulk-heterojunction solar cells is likely to be more affected by charge recombination than that of bilayer devices.

Exciton-Dissociation and Charge-Recombination Processes in Pentacene/C 60 Solar Cells: Theoretical Insight into the Impact of Interface Geometry

KAUST Repository

Yi, Yuanping

2009-11-04

The exciton-dissociation and charge-recombination processes in organic solar cells based on pentacene/C60 heterojunctions are investigated by means of quantum-mechanical calculations. The electronic couplings and the rates of exciton dissociation and charge recombination have been evaluated for several geometrical configurations of the pentacene/C60 complex, which are relevant to bilayer and bulk heterojunctions. The results suggest that, irrespective of the actual pentacene-fullerene orientation, both pentacene-based and C60-based excitons are able to dissociate efficiently. Also, in the case of parallel configurations of the molecules at the pentacene/C60 interface, the decay of the lowest charge-transfer state to the ground state is calculated to be very fast; as a result, it can compete with the dissociation process into mobile charge carriers. Since parallel configurations are expected to be found more frequently in bulk heterojunctions than in bilayer heterojunctions, the performance of pentacene/C60 bulk-heterojunction solar cells is likely to be more affected by charge recombination than that of bilayer devices. © 2009 American Chemical Society.

Determination of Charge-Carrier Mobility in Disordered Thin-Film Solar Cells as a Function of Current Density

Science.gov (United States)

Mäckel, Helmut; MacKenzie, Roderick C. I.

2018-03-01

Charge-carrier mobility is a fundamental material parameter, which plays an important role in determining solar-cell efficiency. The higher the mobility, the less time a charge carrier will spend in a device and the less likely it is that it will be lost to recombination. Despite the importance of this physical property, it is notoriously difficult to measure accurately in disordered thin-film solar cells under operating conditions. We, therefore, investigate a method previously proposed in the literature for the determination of mobility as a function of current density. The method is based on a simple analytical model that relates the mobility to carrier density and transport resistance. By revising the theoretical background of the method, we clearly demonstrate what type of mobility can be extracted (constant mobility or effective mobility of electrons and holes). We generalize the method to any combination of measurements that is able to determine the mean electron and hole carrier density, and the transport resistance at a given current density. We explore the robustness of the method by simulating typical organic solar-cell structures with a variety of physical properties, including unbalanced mobilities, unbalanced carrier densities, and for high or low carrier trapping rates. The simulations reveal that near VOC and JSC , the method fails due to the limitation of determining the transport resistance. However, away from these regions (and, importantly, around the maximum power point), the method can accurately determine charge-carrier mobility. In the presence of strong carrier trapping, the method overestimates the effective mobility due to an underestimation of the carrier density.

Meiotic recombination, synapsis, meiotic inactivation and sperm aneuploidy in a chromosome 1 inversion carrier.

Science.gov (United States)

Kirkpatrick, Gordon; Chow, Victor; Ma, Sai

2012-01-01

Disrupted meiotic behaviour of inversion carriers may be responsible for suboptimal sperm parameters in these carriers. This study investigated meiotic recombination, synapsis, transcriptional silencing and chromosome segregation effects in a pericentric inv(1) carrier. Recombination (MLH1), synapsis (SYCP1, SYCP3) and transcriptional inactivation (γH2AX, BRCA1) were examined by fluorescence immunostaining. Chromosome specific rates of recombination were determined by fluorescence in-situ hybridization. Furthermore, testicular sperm was examined for aneuploidy and segregation of the inv(1). Our findings showed that global recombination rates were similar to controls. Recombination on the inv(1) and the sex chromosomes were reduced. The inv(1) associated with the XY body in 43.4% of cells, in which XY recombination was disproportionately absent, and 94.3% of cells displayed asynapsed regions which displayed meiotic silencing regardless of their association with the XY body. Furthermore, a low frequency of chromosomal imbalance was observed in spermatozoa (3.4%). Our results suggest that certain inversion carriers may display unimpaired global recombination and impaired recombination on the involved and the sex chromosomes during meiosis. Asynapsis or inversion-loop formation in the inverted region may be responsible for impaired spermatogenesis and may prevent sperm-chromosome imbalance. Copyright © 2011 Reproductive Healthcare Ltd. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Charge-carrier mobilities in disordered semiconducting polymers: effects of carrier density and electric field [refereed

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Meisel, K.D.; Pasveer, W.F.; Cottaar, J.; Tanase, C.; Coehoorn, R.; Bobbert, P.A.; Blom, P.W.M.; Leeuw, de D.M.; Michels, M.A.J.

2006-01-01

We model charge transport in disordered semiconducting polymers by hopping of charge carriers on a square lattice of sites with Gaussian on-site energy disorder, using Fermi-Dirac statistics. From numerically exact solns. of the Master equation, we study the dependence of the charge-carrier mobility

Polarized recombination of acoustically transported carriers in GaAs nanowires

Science.gov (United States)

Möller, Michael; Hernández-Mínguez, Alberto; Breuer, Steffen; Pfüller, Carsten; Brandt, Oliver; de Lima, Mauricio M.; Cantarero, Andrés; Geelhaar, Lutz; Riechert, Henning; Santos, Paulo V.

2012-05-01

The oscillating piezoelectric field of a surface acoustic wave (SAW) is employed to transport photoexcited electrons and holes in GaAs nanowires deposited on a SAW delay line on a LiNbO3 crystal. The carriers generated in the nanowire by a focused light spot are acoustically transferred to a second location where they recombine. We show that the recombination of the transported carriers occurs in a zinc blende section on top of the predominant wurtzite nanowire. This allows contactless control of the linear polarized emission by SAWs which is governed by the crystal structure. Additional polarization-resolved photoluminescence measurements were performed to investigate spin conservation during transport.

Trap-assisted and Langevin-type recombination in organic light-emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Wetzelaer, G. A. H.; Kuik, M.; Nicolai, H. T.; Blom, P. W. M.

2011-04-01

Trapping of charges is known to play an important role in the charge transport of organic semiconductors, but the role of traps in the recombination process has not been addressed. Here we show that the ideality factor of the current of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in the diffusion-dominated regime has a temperature-independent value of 2, which reveals that nonradiative trap-assisted recombination dominates the current. In contrast, the ideality factor of the light output approaches unity, demonstrating that luminance is governed by recombination of the bimolecular Langevin type. This apparent contradiction can be resolved by measuring the current and luminance ideality factor for a white-emitting polymer, where both free and trapped charge carriers recombine radiatively. With increasing bias voltage, Langevin recombination becomes dominant over trap-assisted recombination due to its stronger dependence on carrier density, leading to an enhancement in OLED efficiency.

Accelerated carrier recombination by grain boundary/edge defects in MBE grown transition metal dichalcogenides

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ke; Roy, Anupam; Rai, Amritesh; Movva, Hema C. P.; Meng, Xianghai; He, Feng; Banerjee, Sanjay K.; Wang, Yaguo

2018-05-01

Defect-carrier interaction in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) plays important roles in carrier relaxation dynamics and carrier transport, which determines the performance of electronic devices. With femtosecond laser time-resolved spectroscopy, we investigated the effect of grain boundary/edge defects on the ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited carrier in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE)-grown MoTe2 and MoSe2. We found that, comparing with exfoliated samples, the carrier recombination rate in MBE-grown samples accelerates by about 50 times. We attribute this striking difference to the existence of abundant grain boundary/edge defects in MBE-grown samples, which can serve as effective recombination centers for the photoexcited carriers. We also observed coherent acoustic phonons in both exfoliated and MBE-grown MoTe2, indicating strong electron-phonon coupling in this materials. Our measured sound velocity agrees well with the previously reported result of theoretical calculation. Our findings provide a useful reference for the fundamental parameters: carrier lifetime and sound velocity and reveal the undiscovered carrier recombination effect of grain boundary/edge defects, both of which will facilitate the defect engineering in TMD materials for high speed opto-electronics.

Accelerated carrier recombination by grain boundary/edge defects in MBE grown transition metal dichalcogenides

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ke Chen

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Defect-carrier interaction in transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs plays important roles in carrier relaxation dynamics and carrier transport, which determines the performance of electronic devices. With femtosecond laser time-resolved spectroscopy, we investigated the effect of grain boundary/edge defects on the ultrafast dynamics of photoexcited carrier in molecular beam epitaxy (MBE-grown MoTe2 and MoSe2. We found that, comparing with exfoliated samples, the carrier recombination rate in MBE-grown samples accelerates by about 50 times. We attribute this striking difference to the existence of abundant grain boundary/edge defects in MBE-grown samples, which can serve as effective recombination centers for the photoexcited carriers. We also observed coherent acoustic phonons in both exfoliated and MBE-grown MoTe2, indicating strong electron-phonon coupling in this materials. Our measured sound velocity agrees well with the previously reported result of theoretical calculation. Our findings provide a useful reference for the fundamental parameters: carrier lifetime and sound velocity and reveal the undiscovered carrier recombination effect of grain boundary/edge defects, both of which will facilitate the defect engineering in TMD materials for high speed opto-electronics.

Charge Carrier Conduction Mechanism in PbS Quantum Dot Solar Cells: Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Haowei; Wang, Yishan; He, Bo; Li, Weile; Sulaman, Muhammad; Xu, Junfeng; Yang, Shengyi; Tang, Yi; Zou, Bingsuo

2016-07-20

With its properties of bandgap tunability, low cost, and substrate compatibility, colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are becoming promising materials for optoelectronic applications. Additionally, solution-processed organic, inorganic, and hybrid ligand-exchange technologies have been widely used in PbS CQDs solar cells, and currently the maximum certified power conversion efficiency of 9.9% has been reported by passivation treatment of molecular iodine. Presently, there are still some challenges, and the basic physical mechanism of charge carriers in CQDs-based solar cells is not clear. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is a monitoring technology for current by changing the frequency of applied alternating current voltage, and it provides an insight into its electrical properties that cannot be measured by direct current testing facilities. In this work, we used EIS to analyze the recombination resistance, carrier lifetime, capacitance, and conductivity of two typical PbS CQD solar cells Au/PbS-TBAl/ZnO/ITO and Au/PbS-EDT/PbS-TBAl/ZnO/ITO, in this way, to better understand the charge carriers conduction mechanism behind in PbS CQD solar cells, and it provides a guide to design high-performance quantum-dots solar cells.

Mobility of charge carriers in porous silicon layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsh, P. A.; Martyshov, M. N.; Latysheva, A. P.; Vorontsov, A. S.; Timoshenko, V. Yu.; Kashkarov, P. K.

2008-01-01

The (conduction) mobility of majority charge carriers in porous silicon layers of the n and p types is estimated by joint measurements of electrical conductivity and free charge carrier concentration, which is determined from IR absorption spectra. Adsorption of donor and acceptor molecules leading to a change in local electric fields in the structure is used to identify the processes controlling the mobility in porous silicon. It is found that adsorption of acceptor and donor molecules at porous silicon of the p and n types, respectively, leads to a strong increase in electrical conductivity, which is associated with an increase in the concentration of free carrier as well as in their mobility. The increase in the mobility of charge carriers as a result of adsorption indicates the key role of potential barriers at the boundaries of silicon nanocrystals and may be due to a decrease in the barrier height as a result of adsorption

Anisotropic charged impurity-limited carrier mobility in monolayer phosphorene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ong, Zhun-Yong; Zhang, Gang; Zhang, Yong Wei

2014-01-01

The room temperature carrier mobility in atomically thin 2D materials is usually far below the intrinsic limit imposed by phonon scattering as a result of scattering by remote charged impurities in its environment. We simulate the charged impurity-limited carrier mobility μ in bare and encapsulated monolayer phosphorene. We find a significant temperature dependence in the carrier mobilities (μ ∝ T −γ ) that results from the temperature variability of the charge screening and varies with the crystal orientation. The anisotropy in the effective mass leads to an anisotropic carrier mobility, with the mobility in the armchair direction about one order of magnitude larger than in the zigzag direction. In particular, this mobility anisotropy is enhanced at low temperatures and high carrier densities. Under encapsulation with a high-κ overlayer, the mobility increases by up to an order of magnitude although its temperature dependence and its anisotropy are reduced

Anisotropic charged impurity-limited carrier mobility in monolayer phosphorene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ong, Zhun-Yong; Zhang, Gang; Zhang, Yong Wei [Institute of High Performance Computing, A*STAR, Singapore 138632 (Singapore)

2014-12-07

The room temperature carrier mobility in atomically thin 2D materials is usually far below the intrinsic limit imposed by phonon scattering as a result of scattering by remote charged impurities in its environment. We simulate the charged impurity-limited carrier mobility μ in bare and encapsulated monolayer phosphorene. We find a significant temperature dependence in the carrier mobilities (μ ∝ T{sup −γ}) that results from the temperature variability of the charge screening and varies with the crystal orientation. The anisotropy in the effective mass leads to an anisotropic carrier mobility, with the mobility in the armchair direction about one order of magnitude larger than in the zigzag direction. In particular, this mobility anisotropy is enhanced at low temperatures and high carrier densities. Under encapsulation with a high-κ overlayer, the mobility increases by up to an order of magnitude although its temperature dependence and its anisotropy are reduced.

Charge carriers at organic heterojunction interface: Exciplex emission or electroplex emission?

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Shengyi; Zhang, Xiulong; Hou, Yanbing; Deng, Zhenbo; Xu, Xurong

2007-05-01

We report the electroluminescence (EL) of organic heterojunction devices based on N ,N'-diphenyl-N ,N'-bis(3-methylphenyl)-(1,1'-biphenyl)-4,4',-diamine (TPD) and 2-(4'-biphenyl)-5-(4″-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PBD). Besides monomolecular emissions from TPD, there are two additional EL peaks at around 460 and 480nm from the bilayer device indium tin oxide (ITO)/TPD(100nm )/PBD(45nm)/Al. Our experimental data confirmed that the EL emission maximized at around 460nm is from electroplex as the result of charge carriers cross recombination at the TPD/PBD interface and the EL emission maximized at around 480nm originates from (TPD*PBD)-type exciplex.

Carrier recombination in mid-wave infrared InAs/InAsSb superlattices

Science.gov (United States)

Aytac, Yigit; Olson, Benjamin Varberg; Kim, Jin K.; Shaner, Eric A.; Hawkins, Sam D.; Klem, John F.; Flatté, Michael E.; Boggess, Thomas F.

2014-03-01

Measurements of carrier recombination rates using a temperature-dependent time-resolved differential transmission technique are reported for mid-wave infrared InAs / InAs1 - x Sbx type-2 superlattices (T2SLs). By engineering the layer widths and antimony compositions a 16K band-gap of ~ 238 meV was achieved for all five unintentionally doped T2SLs. Carrier recombination rates were determined for all five samples by fitting a rate equation model to the density and temperature dependent data. Minority-carrier lifetimes as long as 22 μs were measured at 14K, while lifetimes in excess of 2 μs were measured for all five samples at 200K. The minority-carrier lifetimes were observed to generally increase with increasing antimony content. While minority-carrier lifetimes are much longer than those observed in InAs/Ga(In)Sb T2SLs, Auger recombination processes were found to be more prominent in the Ga-free T2SLs. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under Contract No. DE-AC04-94AL85000. This research was funded by the U.S. Government.

The effect of solvent relaxation time constants on free energy gap law for ultrafast charge recombination following photoinduced charge separation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mikhailova, Valentina A; Malykhin, Roman E; Ivanov, Anatoly I

2018-05-16

To elucidate the regularities inherent in the kinetics of ultrafast charge recombination following photoinduced charge separation in donor-acceptor dyads in solutions, the simulations of the kinetics have been performed within the stochastic multichannel point-transition model. Increasing the solvent relaxation time scales has been shown to strongly vary the dependence of the charge recombination rate constant on the free energy gap. In slow relaxing solvents the non-equilibrium charge recombination occurring in parallel with solvent relaxation is very effective so that the charge recombination terminates at the non-equilibrium stage. This results in a crucial difference between the free energy gap laws for the ultrafast charge recombination and the thermal charge transfer. For the thermal reactions the well-known Marcus bell-shaped dependence of the rate constant on the free energy gap is realized while for the ultrafast charge recombination only a descending branch is predicted in the whole area of the free energy gap exceeding 0.2 eV. From the available experimental data on the population kinetics of the second and first excited states for a series of Zn-porphyrin-imide dyads in toluene and tetrahydrofuran solutions, an effective rate constant of the charge recombination into the first excited state has been calculated. The obtained rate constant being very high is nearly invariable in the area of the charge recombination free energy gap from 0.2 to 0.6 eV that supports the theoretical prediction.

Carrier population control and surface passivation in solar cells

KAUST Repository

Cuevas, Andres

2018-05-02

Controlling the concentration of charge carriers near the surface is essential for solar cells. It permits to form regions with selective conductivity for either electrons or holes and it also helps to reduce the rate at which they recombine. Chemical passivation of the surfaces is equally important, and it can be combined with population control to implement carrier-selective, passivating contacts for solar cells. This paper discusses different approaches to suppress surface recombination and to manipulate the concentration of carriers by means of doping, work function and charge. It also describes some of the many surface-passivating contacts that are being developed for silicon solar cells, restricted to experiments performed by the authors.

Polymer:Nonfullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Exceptionally Low Recombination Rates

KAUST Repository

Gasparini, Nicola; Salvador, Michael; Heumueller, Thomas; Richter, Moses; Classen, Andrej; Shrestha, Shreetu; Matt, Gebhard J.; Holliday, Sarah; Strohm, Sebastian; Egelhaaf, Hans-Joachim; Wadsworth, Andrew; Baran, Derya; McCulloch, Iain; Brabec, Christoph J.

2017-01-01

Organic semiconductors are in general known to have an inherently lower charge carrier mobility compared to their inorganic counterparts. Bimolecular recombination of holes and electrons is an important loss mechanism and can often be described by the Langevin recombination model. Here, the device physics of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on a nonfullerene acceptor (IDTBR) in combination with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) are elucidated, showing an unprecedentedly low bimolecular recombination rate. The high fill factor observed (above 65%) is attributed to non-Langevin behavior with a Langevin prefactor (β/βL) of 1.9 × 10−4. The absence of parasitic recombination and high charge carrier lifetimes in P3HT:IDTBR solar cells inform an almost ideal bimolecular recombination behavior. This exceptional recombination behavior is explored to fabricate devices with layer thicknesses up to 450 nm without significant performance losses. The determination of the photoexcited carrier mobility by time-of-flight measurements reveals a long-lived and nonthermalized carrier transport as the origin for the exceptional transport physics. The crystalline microstructure arrangement of both components is suggested to be decisive for this slow recombination dynamics. Further, the thickness-independent power conversion efficiency is of utmost technological relevance for upscaling production and reiterates the importance of understanding material design in the context of low bimolecular recombination.

Polymer:Nonfullerene Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Exceptionally Low Recombination Rates

KAUST Repository

Gasparini, Nicola

2017-09-01

Organic semiconductors are in general known to have an inherently lower charge carrier mobility compared to their inorganic counterparts. Bimolecular recombination of holes and electrons is an important loss mechanism and can often be described by the Langevin recombination model. Here, the device physics of bulk heterojunction solar cells based on a nonfullerene acceptor (IDTBR) in combination with poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) are elucidated, showing an unprecedentedly low bimolecular recombination rate. The high fill factor observed (above 65%) is attributed to non-Langevin behavior with a Langevin prefactor (β/βL) of 1.9 × 10−4. The absence of parasitic recombination and high charge carrier lifetimes in P3HT:IDTBR solar cells inform an almost ideal bimolecular recombination behavior. This exceptional recombination behavior is explored to fabricate devices with layer thicknesses up to 450 nm without significant performance losses. The determination of the photoexcited carrier mobility by time-of-flight measurements reveals a long-lived and nonthermalized carrier transport as the origin for the exceptional transport physics. The crystalline microstructure arrangement of both components is suggested to be decisive for this slow recombination dynamics. Further, the thickness-independent power conversion efficiency is of utmost technological relevance for upscaling production and reiterates the importance of understanding material design in the context of low bimolecular recombination.

Investigation of radiative charging of dielectrics irradiated by ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dergobuzov, K.A.; Yalovets, A.P.

1994-01-01

Within the framework of the Gusel'nikov mathematical model are fulflled numerical investigations of charging dielectrics irradiated with ions and atoms. The model accounts for dynamics of quasi-free charge carriers of each sign with account of processes of dielectrics ionization with a beam, charge recombination and charge drift in an electric fields. The effective mobility of charge carriers is determined with account for its dependence on the dose rate

Effects of geminate and bimolecular recombination on the performance of polymeric-small molecular solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schubert, Marcel; Yin, Chunhong; Castellani, Mauro; Neher, Dieter [University of Potsdam, Institute of Physics and Astronomy, 14476 Potsdam-Golm (Germany); Sellinger, Alan [IMRE, 3 Research Link, 117602 Singapore (Singapore)

2009-07-01

Many physical properties of organic photovoltaics are related to the nature of the geminate pair, an intermediate state that forms after dissociation of photogenerated excitons and prior to free charge carrier generation. Whereas it was found that photocurrent generation is dominated by the strong field dependent process of geminate pair dissociation, the recombination of uncorrelated free charge carriers and the formation of space charge seem to play a minor role in the prominent P3HT/PCBM combination. The situation may change, when using different D/A combinations or other soluble acceptor molecules. We present organic solar cells comprising a novel small molecule based on 2-vinyl-4,5-dicyanoimidazole (Vinazene) as acceptor and M3EH-PPV as donor. While bilayer devices show promising results with a fill factor up to 57 %, the IU-characteristics of bulk heterojunction devices are dominated by bimolecular recombination and space charge effects even at moderate illumination intensities. Photo-CELIV measurements were performed to study the bimolecular recombination in detail. By combining photo-CELIV results with PL and IU measurements we are able to analyze the interrelation of recombination losses, free charge carrier generation and exciplex formation.

Importance of polaron effects for charge carrier mobility above and ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

It is shown that the scattering of polaronic charge carriers and bosonic Cooper pairs at acoustic and optical phonons are responsible for the charge carrier mobility above and below the PG temperature. We show that the energy scales of the binding energies of large polarons and polaronic Cooper pairs can be identified by ...

Magnetic Generation due to Mass Difference between Charge Carriers

OpenAIRE

Chen, Shi; Dan, JiaKun; Chen, ZiYu; Li, JianFeng

2013-01-01

The possibility of spontaneous magnetization due to the "asymmetry in mass" of charge carriers in a system is investigated. Analysis shows that when the masses of positive and negative charge carriers are identical, no magnetization is predicted. However, if the masses of two species are different, spontaneous magnetic field would appear, either due to the equipartition of magnetic energy or due to fluctuations together with a feedback mechanism. The conditions for magnetization to occur are ...

Spatial variation in carrier dynamics along a single CdSSe nanowire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blake, Jolie C.; Eldridge, Peter S.; Gundlach, Lars

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Femtosecond Kerr-gate microscopy allows ultrafast fluorescence measurements along different positions of a single nanowire. • Amplified spontaneous emission observed at high fluences can be used to calculate recombination rates. • Observation of ASE at different locations along a single CdSSe nanowire provides the ability to extract defect densities. - Abstract: Ultrafast charge carrier dynamics along individual CdS x Se 1−x nanowires has been measured. The use of an improved ultrafast Kerr-gated microscope allows for spatially resolved luminescence measurements along a single nanowire. Amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) was observed at high excitation fluences. Position dependent variations of ultrafast ASE dynamics were observed. SEM and colorimetric measurements showed that the difference in dynamics can be attributed to variations in non-radiative recombination rates along the wire. The dominant Shockley-Read recombination rate can be extracted from ASE dynamics and can be directly related to charge carrier mobility and defect density. Employing ASE as a probe for defect densities provides a new sub-micron spatially resolved, contactless method for measurements of charge carrier mobility

[Study on the movement of the carrier recombination region in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on DPVBi/Alq3].

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Guang; Zhao, Su-ling; Xu, Zheng; Zhang, Fu-jun; Kong, Chao; Liu, Xiao-dong; Gong, Wei; Gao, Li-yan

2011-07-01

Series of organic light emitting devices with basic structure of ITO/PCBM: PVK(x Wt%, approximately 40 nm)/DPVBi(30 nm)/Alq3 (30 nm)/Al were fabricated in order to investigate the carrier recombination region movement in these devices. The carrier injection-dependent, the carrier transport-dependent and the voltage-dependent carrier recombination region movements were investigated respectively by modifying cathode with lithium fluoride, by changing the doping concentration of PCBM and by changing the voltage on the devices. The physical mechanism behind the voltage-dependent carrier recombination region movement was discussed.

Radiative recombination of highly charged ions: Enhanced rates at low energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frank, A.; Mueller, A.; Haselbauer, J.; Schennach, S.; Spies, W.; Uwira, O.; Wagner, M.

1992-01-01

In a single-pass merged-beams experiment employing a dense cold electron target recombination of highly charged ions is studied. Unexpected high recombination rates are observed at low energies E cm in the electron-ion center-of-mass frame. In particular, theoretical estimates for radiative recombination are dramatically exceeded by the experimental recombination rates at E cm =0 eV for U 28+ and for Au 25+ ions. Considerable rate enhancement is also observed for Ar 15+ . This points to a general phenomenon which has to be interpreted as a consequence of high electron densities, low electron beam temperatures, high ion charge states and presence of strong magnetic fields. (orig.)

Recombination properties of dislocations in GaN

Science.gov (United States)

Yakimov, Eugene B.; Polyakov, Alexander Y.; Lee, In-Hwan; Pearton, Stephen J.

2018-04-01

The recombination activity of threading dislocations in n-GaN with different dislocation densities and different doping levels was studied using electron beam induced current (EBIC). The recombination velocity on a dislocation, also known as the dislocation recombination strength, was calculated. The results suggest that dislocations in n-GaN giving contrast in EBIC are charged and surrounded by a space charge region, as evidenced by the observed dependence of dislocation recombination strength on dopant concentration. For moderate (below ˜108 cm-2) dislocation densities, these defects do not primarily determine the average diffusion length of nonequilibrium charge carriers, although locally, dislocations are efficient recombination sites. In general, it is observed that the effect of the growth method [standard metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), epitaxial lateral overgrowth versions of MOCVD, and hydride vapor phase epitaxy] on the recombination activity of dislocations is not very pronounced, although the average diffusion lengths can widely differ for various samples. The glide of basal plane dislocations at room temperature promoted by low energy electron irradiation does not significantly change the recombination properties of dislocations.

Modeling charge collection efficiency degradation in partially depleted GaAs photodiodes using the 1- and 2-carrier Hecht equations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auden, E.C.; Vizkelethy, G.; Serkland, D.K.; Bossert, D.J.; Doyle, B.L.

2017-01-01

The Hecht equation can be used to model the nonlinear degradation of charge collection efficiency (CCE) in response to radiation-induced displacement damage in both fully and partially depleted GaAs photodiodes. CCE degradation is measured for laser-generated photocurrent as a function of fluence and bias in Al_0_._3Ga_0_._7As/GaAs/Al_0_._2_5Ga_0_._7_5As p-i-n photodiodes which have been irradiated with 12 MeV C and 7.5 MeV Si ions. CCE is observed to degrade more rapidly with fluence in partially depleted photodiodes than in fully depleted photodiodes. When the intrinsic GaAs layer is fully depleted, the 2-carrier Hecht equation describes CCE degradation as photogenerated electrons and holes recombine at defect sites created by radiation damage in the depletion region. If the GaAs layer is partially depleted, CCE degradation is more appropriately modeled as the sum of the 2-carrier Hecht equation applied to electrons and holes generated within the depletion region and the 1-carrier Hecht equation applied to minority carriers that diffuse from the field-free (non-depleted) region into the depletion region. Enhanced CCE degradation is attributed to holes that recombine within the field-free region of the partially depleted intrinsic GaAs layer before they can diffuse into the depletion region.

Modeling charge collection efficiency degradation in partially depleted GaAs photodiodes using the 1- and 2-carrier Hecht equations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Auden, E.C., E-mail: eauden@sandia.gov; Vizkelethy, G.; Serkland, D.K.; Bossert, D.J.; Doyle, B.L.

2017-05-15

The Hecht equation can be used to model the nonlinear degradation of charge collection efficiency (CCE) in response to radiation-induced displacement damage in both fully and partially depleted GaAs photodiodes. CCE degradation is measured for laser-generated photocurrent as a function of fluence and bias in Al{sub 0.3}Ga{sub 0.7}As/GaAs/Al{sub 0.25}Ga{sub 0.75}As p-i-n photodiodes which have been irradiated with 12 MeV C and 7.5 MeV Si ions. CCE is observed to degrade more rapidly with fluence in partially depleted photodiodes than in fully depleted photodiodes. When the intrinsic GaAs layer is fully depleted, the 2-carrier Hecht equation describes CCE degradation as photogenerated electrons and holes recombine at defect sites created by radiation damage in the depletion region. If the GaAs layer is partially depleted, CCE degradation is more appropriately modeled as the sum of the 2-carrier Hecht equation applied to electrons and holes generated within the depletion region and the 1-carrier Hecht equation applied to minority carriers that diffuse from the field-free (non-depleted) region into the depletion region. Enhanced CCE degradation is attributed to holes that recombine within the field-free region of the partially depleted intrinsic GaAs layer before they can diffuse into the depletion region.

Study of Charge Carrier Transport in GaN Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Gaubas, Eugenijus; Ceponis, Tomas; Kuokstis, Edmundas; Meskauskaite, Dovile; Pavlov, Jevgenij; Reklaitis, Ignas

2016-01-01

Capacitor and Schottky diode sensors were fabricated on GaN material grown by hydride vapor phase epitaxy and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition techniques using plasma etching and metal deposition. The operational characteristics of these devices have been investigated by profiling current transients and by comparing the experimental regimes of the perpendicular and parallel injection of excess carrier domains. Profiling of the carrier injection location allows for the separation of the bipolar and the monopolar charge drift components. Carrier mobility values attributed to the hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) GaN material have been estimated as μe = 1000 ± 200 cm2/Vs for electrons, and μh = 400 ± 80 cm2/Vs for holes, respectively. Current transients under injection of the localized and bulk packets of excess carriers have been examined in order to determine the surface charge formation and polarization effects. PMID:28773418

Mechanism of the free charge carrier generation in the dielectric breakdown

Science.gov (United States)

Rahim, N. A. A.; Ranom, R.; Zainuddin, H.

2017-12-01

Many studies have been conducted to investigate the effect of environmental, mechanical and electrical stresses on insulator. However, studies on physical process of discharge phenomenon, leading to the breakdown of the insulator surface are lacking and difficult to comprehend. Therefore, this paper analysed charge carrier generation mechanism that can cause free charge carrier generation, leading toward surface discharge development. Besides, this paper developed a model of surface discharge based on the charge generation mechanism on the outdoor insulator. Nernst’s Planck theory was used in order to model the behaviour of the charge carriers while Poisson’s equation was used to determine the distribution of electric field on insulator surface. In the modelling of surface discharge on the outdoor insulator, electric field dependent molecular ionization was used as the charge generation mechanism. A mathematical model of the surface discharge was solved using method of line technique (MOL). The result from the mathematical model showed that the behaviour of net space charge density was correlated with the electric field distribution.

Charge-carrier dynamics in polycrystalline thin-film CuIn{sub 1−x}Ga{sub x}Se{sub 2} photovoltaic devices after pulsed laser excitation: Interface and space-charge region analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kuciauskas, Darius; Li, Jian V.; Kanevce, Ana; Guthrey, Harvey; Contreras, Miguel; Pankow, Joel; Dippo, Pat; Ramanathan, Kannan [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15013 Denver West Parkway, Golden, Colorado 80401-3305 (United States)

2015-05-14

We used time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectroscopy to analyze time-domain and spectral-domain charge-carrier dynamics in CuIn{sub 1−x}Ga{sub x}Se{sub 2} (CIGS) photovoltaic (PV) devices. This new approach allowed detailed characterization for the CIGS/CdS buffer interface and for the space-charge region. We find that dynamics at the interface is dominated by diffusion, where the diffusion rate is several times greater than the thermionic emission or interface recombination rate. In the space-charge region, the electric field of the pn junction has the largest effect on the carrier dynamics. Based on the minority-carrier (electron) drift-rate dependence on the electric field strength, we estimated drift mobility in compensated CuIn{sub 1−x}Ga{sub x}Se{sub 2} (with x ≈ 0.3) as 22 ± 2 cm{sup 2}(Vs){sup −1}. Analysis developed in this study could be applied to evaluate interface and junction properties of PV and other electronic devices. For CIGS PV devices, TRPL spectroscopy could contribute to understanding effects due to absorber compositional grading, which is one of the focus areas in developing record-efficiency CIGS solar cells.

Charge carrier relaxation model in disordered organic semiconductors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Nianduan; Li, Ling; Sun, Pengxiao; Liu, Ming

2013-01-01

The relaxation phenomena of charge carrier in disordered organic semiconductors have been demonstrated and investigated theoretically. An analytical model describing the charge carrier relaxation is proposed based on the pure hopping transport theory. The relation between the material disorder, electric field and temperature and the relaxation phenomena has been discussed in detail, respectively. The calculated results reveal that the increase of electric field and temperature can promote the relaxation effect in disordered organic semiconductors, while the increase of material disorder will weaken the relaxation. The proposed model can explain well the stretched-exponential law by adopting the appropriate parameters. The calculation shows a good agreement with the experimental data for organic semiconductors

The Role of Trap-assisted Recombination in Luminescent Properties of Organometal Halide CH3NH3PbBr3 Perovskite Films and Quantum Dots

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhen-Yu; Wang, Hai-Yu; Zhang, Yan-Xia; Hao, Ya-Wei; Sun, Chun; Zhang, Yu; Gao, Bing-Rong; Chen, Qi-Dai; Sun, Hong-Bo

2016-06-01

Hybrid metal halide perovskites have been paid enormous attentions in photophysics research, whose excellent performances were attributed to their intriguing charge carriers proprieties. However, it still remains far from satisfaction in the comprehensive understanding of perovskite charge-transport properities, especially about trap-assisted recombination process. In this Letter, through time-resolved transient absorption (TA) and photoluminescence (PL) measurements, we provided a relative comprehensive investigation on the charge carriers recombination dynamics of CH3NH3PbBr3 (MAPbBr3) perovskite films and quantum dots (QDs), especially about trap-assisted recombination. It was found that the integral recombination mode of MAPbBr3 films was highly sensitive to the density distribution of generated charge carriers and trap states. Additional, Trap effects would be gradually weakened with elevated carrier densities. Furthermore, the trap-assisted recombination can be removed from MAPbBr3 QDs through its own surface passivation mechanism and this specialty may render the QDs as a new material in illuminating research. This work provides deeper physical insights into the dynamics processes of MAPbBr3 materials and paves a way toward more light-harvesting applications in future.

Spin-polarization dependent carrier recombination dynamics and spin relaxation mechanism in asymmetrically doped (110) n-GaAs quantum wells

Science.gov (United States)

Teng, Lihua; Jiang, Tianran; Wang, Xia; Lai, Tianshu

2018-05-01

Carrier recombination and electron spin relaxation dynamics in asymmetric n-doped (110) GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells are investigated with time-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy. The experiment results reveal that the measured carrier recombination time depends strongly on the polarization of pump pulse. With the same pump photon flux densities, the recombination time of spin-polarized carriers is always longer than that of the spin-balanced carriers except at low pump photon flux densities, this anomaly originates from the polarization-sensitive nonlinear absorption effect. Differing from the traditional views, in the low carrier density regime, the D'yakonov-Perel' (DP) mechanism can be more important than the Bir-Aronov-Pikus (BAP) mechanism, since the DP mechanism takes effect, the spin relaxation time in (110) GaAs QWs is shortened obviously via asymmetric doping.

Steady state minority carrier lifetime and defect level occupation in thin film CdTe solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cheng, Zimeng; Delahoy, Alan E.; Su, Zhaoqian; Chin, Ken K.

2014-01-01

A model consisting of Shockley Read Hall (SRH) recombination under steady state conditions of constant photon injection is proposed in this work to study the steady state minority carrier lifetime in CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells. The SRH recombination rate versus optical injection level is analytically approximated in the junction and neutral regions. In the neutral region, it is found that the recombination rate through certain defect levels has one constant value under lower optical injection conditions and another constant value under higher optical injection conditions with the transition occurring at a critical optical injection level. By simultaneously solving the equations of charge neutrality, charge conservation and SRH recombination in the neutral region, it is found that the compensation of doping and the reduction of minority carrier lifetime by donors in the p-type semiconductor can each be remedied by optical injection. It is also demonstrated that this optical-dependent SRH recombination is significant in large bandgap thin films. The measured minority carrier diffusion length in a CdS/CdTe solar cells, as determined from the steady-state photo-generated carrier collection efficiency, shows the predicted transition of minority carrier lifetime versus optical injection level. A numerical fitting of the indirectly-measured minority carrier lifetime by assuming the minority carrier mobility gives a non-intuitive picture of the p–n junction with a low free hole concentration but a narrow depletion region width. - Highlights: • Minority carrier lifetimes under different optical injections are solved. • Simplifications of Shockley–Read–Hall recombination equation are discussed. • The compensation of donor can be remedied with optical injection. • The recombination efficiency of donor can be remedied with optical injection. • The minority carrier lifetime transition under illumination was experimentally observed

Revealing charge carrier dynamics in squaraine:[6, 6]-phenyl-C 71-butyric acid methyl ester based organic solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Rana, Aniket; Sharma, Chhavi; Prabhu, Deepak D.; Kumar, Mahesh; Karuvath, Yoosaf; Das, Suresh; Chand, Suresh; Singh, Rajiv K.

2018-04-01

Ultrafast charge carrier dynamics as well as the generation of polaron pair in squaraine (SQ) and squaraine:[6,6]-phenyl-C 71-butyric acid methyl ester (SQ:PCBM71) have been studied using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy (UTAS). The current study reveals that the pure SQ exhibits the creation of singlet and triplet states; however, incorporation of PCBM71 in SQ results in the formation of polaron pairs with ˜550ps lifetime, which in turn leads to the creation of free electrons in the device. We show that the considerable increment in monomolecular and bimolecular recombination in SQ:PCBM71 compared to pure SQ which describes the interfacial compatibility of SQ and PCBMC71 molecules. The present work not only provides the information about the carrier generation in SQ and SQ:PCBM71 but also gives the facts relating to the effect of PCBM71 mixing into the SQ which is very significant because the SQ has donor-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) structure and mixing one more acceptor can introduce more complex recombinations in the blend. These findings have been complimented by the charge transport study in the device using impedance spectroscopy. The various important transport parameters are transit time (τt), diffusion constant (Dn), global mobility (μ) and carrier lifetime (τr). The values of these parameters are 26.38 μs, 4.64x10-6 cm2s-1, 6.12x10-6 cm2V-1s-1 and 399 μs, respectively. To the best of our knowledge such study related to SQ is not present in the literature comprehensively.

Charge Recombination, Transport Dynamics, and Interfacial Effects in Organic Solar Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heeger, Alan [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Bazan, Guillermo [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Nguyen, Thuc-Quyen [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States); Wudl, Fred [Univ. of California, Santa Barbara, CA (United States)

2015-02-12

The need for renewable sources of energy is well known. Conversion of sunlight to electricity using solar cells is one of the most important opportunities for creating renewable energy sources. The research carried out under DE-FG02-08ER46535 focused on the science and technology of “Plastic” solar cells comprised of organic (i.e. carbon based) semiconductors. The Bulk Heterojunction concept involves a phase separated blend of two organic semiconductors each with dimensions in the nano-meter length scale --- one a material that functions as a donor for electrons and the other a material that functions as an acceptor for electrons. The nano-scale inter-penetrating network concept for “Plastic” solar cells was created at UC Santa Barbara. A simple measure of the impact of this concept can be obtained from a Google search which gives 244,000 “hits” for the Bulk Heterojunction solar cell. Research funded through this program focused on four major areas: 1. Interfacial effects in organic photovoltaics, 2. Charge transfer and photogeneration of mobile charge carriers in organic photovoltaics, 3. Transport and recombination of the photogenerated charge carriers in organic photovoltaics, 4. Synthesis of novel organic semiconducting polymers and semiconducting small molecules, including conjugated polyelectrolytes. Following the discovery of ultrafast charge transfer at UC Santa Barbara in 1992, the nano-organic (Bulk Heterojunction) concept was formulated. The need for a morphology comprising two interpenetrating bicontinuous networks was clear: one network to carry the photogenerated electrons (negative charge) to the cathode and one network to carry the photo-generated holes (positive charge) to the anode. This remarkable self-assembled network morphology has now been established using Transmission electron Microscopy (TEM) either in the Phase Contrast mode or via TEM-Tomography. The steps involved in delivering power from a solar cell to an external circuit

Large Modulation of Charge Carrier Mobility in Doped Nanoporous Organic Transistors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Fengjiao [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA; Dai, Xiaojuan [Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190 P. R. China; Zhu, Weikun [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA; Chung, Hyunjoong [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA; Diao, Ying [Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 600 S. Mathews Ave. Urbana IL 61801 USA

2017-05-10

Molecular doping of organic electronics has shown promise to sensitively modulate important device metrics. One critical challenge is the disruption of structure order upon doping of highly crystalline organic semiconductors, which significantly reduces the charge carrier mobility. This paper demonstrates a new method to achieve large modulation of charge carrier mobility via channel doping without disrupting the molecular ordering. Central to the method is the introduction of nanopores into the organic semiconductor thin films via a simple and robust templated meniscus-guided coating method. Using this method, the charge carrier mobility of C8-benzothieno[3,2-b]benzothiophene transistors is boosted by almost sevenfold. This paper further demonstrates enhanced electron transport by close to an order of magnitude in a diketopyrrolopyrrole-based donor–acceptor polymer. Combining spectroscopic measurements, density functional theory calculations, and electrical characterizations, the doping mechanism is identified as partial-charge-transfer induced trap filling. The nanopores serve to enhance the dopant/organic semiconductor charge transfer reaction by exposing the π-electrons to the pore wall.

Impact of Electrodes on Recombination in Bulk Heterojunction Organic Solar Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Chatri, Azadeh Rahimi; Torabi, Solmaz; Le Corre, Vincent M.; Koster, L. Jan Anton

2018-01-01

In recent years, the efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs) has increased to more than 13%, although different barriers are on the way for reaching higher efficiencies. One crucial barrier is the recombination of charge carriers, which can either occur as the bulk recombination of photogenerated

Measuring the lateral charge-carrier mobility in metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors via Kelvin-probe.

Science.gov (United States)

Milotti, Valeria; Pietsch, Manuel; Strunk, Karl-Philipp; Melzer, Christian

2018-01-01

We report a Kelvin-probe method to investigate the lateral charge-transport properties of semiconductors, most notably the charge-carrier mobility. The method is based on successive charging and discharging of a pre-biased metal-insulator-semiconductor stack by an alternating voltage applied to one edge of a laterally confined semiconductor layer. The charge carriers spreading along the insulator-semiconductor interface are directly measured by a Kelvin-probe, following the time evolution of the surface potential. A model is presented, describing the device response for arbitrary applied biases allowing the extraction of the lateral charge-carrier mobility from experimentally measured surface potentials. The method is tested using the organic semiconductor poly(3-hexylthiophene), and the extracted mobilities are validated through current voltage measurements on respective field-effect transistors. Our widely applicable approach enables robust measurements of the lateral charge-carrier mobility in semiconductors with weak impact from the utilized contact materials.

Measuring the lateral charge-carrier mobility in metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors via Kelvin-probe

Science.gov (United States)

Milotti, Valeria; Pietsch, Manuel; Strunk, Karl-Philipp; Melzer, Christian

2018-01-01

We report a Kelvin-probe method to investigate the lateral charge-transport properties of semiconductors, most notably the charge-carrier mobility. The method is based on successive charging and discharging of a pre-biased metal-insulator-semiconductor stack by an alternating voltage applied to one edge of a laterally confined semiconductor layer. The charge carriers spreading along the insulator-semiconductor interface are directly measured by a Kelvin-probe, following the time evolution of the surface potential. A model is presented, describing the device response for arbitrary applied biases allowing the extraction of the lateral charge-carrier mobility from experimentally measured surface potentials. The method is tested using the organic semiconductor poly(3-hexylthiophene), and the extracted mobilities are validated through current voltage measurements on respective field-effect transistors. Our widely applicable approach enables robust measurements of the lateral charge-carrier mobility in semiconductors with weak impact from the utilized contact materials.

Effect of Molecular Packing and Charge Delocalization on the Nonradiative Recombination of Charge-Transfer States in Organic Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Chen, Xiankai

2016-09-05

In organic solar cells, a major source of energy loss is attributed to nonradiative recombination from the interfacial charge transfer states to the ground state. By taking pentacene–C60 complexes as model donor–acceptor systems, a comprehensive theoretical understanding of how molecular packing and charge delocalization impact these nonradiative recombination rates at donor–acceptor interfaces is provided.

Terahertz radiation from accelerating charge carriers in graphene under ultrafast photoexcitation

Science.gov (United States)

Rustagi, Avinash; Stanton, C. J.

2016-11-01

We study the generation of terahertz (THz) radiation from the acceleration of ultrafast photoexcited charge carriers in graphene in the presence of a dc electric field. Our model is based on calculating the transient current density from the time-dependent distribution function which is determined using the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE) within a relaxation time approximation. We include the time-dependent generation of carriers by the pump pulse by solving for the carrier generation rate using the optical Bloch equations in the rotating wave approximation (RWA). The linearly polarized pump pulse generates an anisotropic distribution of photoexcited carriers in the kx-ky plane. The collision integral in the Boltzmann equation includes a term that leads to the thermalization of carriers via carrier-carrier scattering to an effective temperature above the lattice temperature, as well as a cooling term, which leads to energy relaxation via inelastic carrier-phonon scattering. The radiated signal is proportional to the time derivative of the transient current density. In spite of the fact that the magnitude of the velocity is the same for all the carriers in graphene, there is still emitted radiation from the photoexcited charge carriers with frequency components in the THz range due to a change in the direction of velocity of the photoexcited carriers in the external electric field as well as cooling of the photoexcited carriers on a subpicosecond time scale.

One-carrier free space charge motion under applied voltage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

de ALMEIDA, L E.C.; FERREIRA, G F.L. [SAO PAULO UNIV., SAO CARLOS (BRAZIL). INSTITUTO DE FISICA E QUIMICA

1975-12-01

It is shown how to transform the system of partial differential equations, describing the free one-carrier space charge motion in solid dielectrics under a given applied voltage and while the charge distribution touches only one of the electrodes, into a first order ordinary differential equation from whose solution all the interesting quantities may be easily derived. It was found that some charge distributions can display current reversal.

Magnetoresistance based determination of basic parameters of minority charge carriers in solid matter

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y.O. Uhryn

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Magnetoresistance as a tool of basic parameters determination of minority charge carriers and the ratio of minority charge carriers conductivity to majority ones in solid matter has been considered within the framework of the phenomenological two-band model. The criterion of the application of this model has been found. As examples of these equations usage the conductor, semiconductor and superconductor have been introduced. From the obtained temperature dependences of the aforementioned values in superconductor, a supposition of a deciding role of minority charge carriers in the emergence of superconductivity state has been made.

Limits for Recombination in a Low Energy Loss Organic Heterojunction

KAUST Repository

Menke, S. Matthew; Sadhanala, Aditya; Nikolka, Mark; Ran, Niva A.; Ravva, Mahesh Kumar; Abdel-Azeim, Safwat; Stern, Hannah L.; Wang, Ming; Sirringhaus, Henning; Nguyen, Thuc-Quyen; Bredas, Jean-Luc; Bazan, Guillermo C.; Friend, Richard H.

2016-01-01

Donor-acceptor organic solar cells often show high quantum yields for charge collection, but relatively low open-circuit voltages (VOC) limit power conversion efficiencies to around 12%. We report here the behavior of a system, PIPCP:PC61BM, that exhibits very low electronic disorder (Urbach energy less than 27 meV), very high carrier mobilities in the blend (field-effect mobility for holes >10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1), and a very low driving energy for initial charge separation (50 meV). These characteristics should give excellent performance, and indeed, the VOC is high relative to the donor energy gap. However, we find the overall performance is limited by recombination, with formation of lower-lying triplet excitons on the donor accounting for 90% of the recombination. We find this is a bimolecular process that happens on time scales as short as 100 ps. Thus, although the absence of disorder and the associated high carrier mobility speeds up charge diffusion and extraction at the electrodes, which we measure as early as 1 ns, this also speeds up the recombination channel, giving overall a modest quantum yield of around 60%. We discuss strategies to remove the triplet exciton recombination channel.

Limits for Recombination in a Low Energy Loss Organic Heterojunction

KAUST Repository

Menke, S. Matthew

2016-11-03

Donor-acceptor organic solar cells often show high quantum yields for charge collection, but relatively low open-circuit voltages (VOC) limit power conversion efficiencies to around 12%. We report here the behavior of a system, PIPCP:PC61BM, that exhibits very low electronic disorder (Urbach energy less than 27 meV), very high carrier mobilities in the blend (field-effect mobility for holes >10-2 cm2 V-1 s-1), and a very low driving energy for initial charge separation (50 meV). These characteristics should give excellent performance, and indeed, the VOC is high relative to the donor energy gap. However, we find the overall performance is limited by recombination, with formation of lower-lying triplet excitons on the donor accounting for 90% of the recombination. We find this is a bimolecular process that happens on time scales as short as 100 ps. Thus, although the absence of disorder and the associated high carrier mobility speeds up charge diffusion and extraction at the electrodes, which we measure as early as 1 ns, this also speeds up the recombination channel, giving overall a modest quantum yield of around 60%. We discuss strategies to remove the triplet exciton recombination channel.

Drift of nonequilibrium charge carriers in GaAs-crystals with traps in ultrasonic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaveryukhina, N.N.; Zaveryukhin, B.N.; Zaveryukhina, E.B.

2007-01-01

Full text: The drift of nonequilibrium charge carriers in a semiconductor is one of the basic processes determining the efficiency of semiconductor photodetectors. Gallium arsenide possesses certain advantages to other semiconductors in this respect, which allow GaAs-photodetectors to be obtained which possess the maximum efficiency in comparison with all other systems. The purpose of this study was to deepen and expand our knowledge about the acoustic-drift processes in GaAs- crystals. As is known, the drift of nonequilibrium charge carriers in a semiconductor is determined either by external electric fields and/or by internal (built-in) electrostatic fields related to an impurity concentration gradient in the semiconductor. Gallium arsenide is a piezoelectric semiconductor with a structure possessing no center of symmetry. An electric field applied to such a crystal produces deformation of the crystal, and vice versa, any deformation of the crystal leads to the appearance of an induced electric field. Therefore, investigation of the effect of deformation on the drift of nonequilibrium charge carriers is a very important task. One of the possible straining factors is ultrasonic wave. Interaction of the charge carriers with ultrasonic waves in piezo-semiconductors is mediated by piezo exertion. Straining a semiconductor by an ultrasonic wave field gives rise to a force acting upon the charge carriers, which is proportional to the wave vector and the piezoelectric constant of the crystal. The physics of interaction between an ultrasonic wave and nonequilibrium charge carriers in GaAs, as well as in non-polar semiconductors (Si, Ge), consists in the energy and momentum exchange between the wave and the carriers. Besides the ultrasonic waves interact with the traps of carriers and devastate them. These both acoustic effects lead to rise of amplitude of signal of GaAs-photodetectors. (authors)

Charge-carrier selective electrodes for organic bulk heterojunction solar cell by contact-printed siloxane oligomers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hwang, Hyun-Sik; Khang, Dahl-Young

2015-01-01

‘Smart’ (or selective) electrode for charge carriers, both electrons and holes, in organic bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells using insertion layers made of hydrophobically-recovered and contact-printed siloxane oligomers between electrodes and active material has been demonstrated. The siloxane oligomer insertion layer has been formed at a given interface simply by conformally-contacting a cured slab of polydimethylsiloxane stamp for less than 100 s. All the devices, either siloxane oligomer printed at one interface only or printed at both interfaces, showed efficiency enhancement when compared to non-printed ones. The possible mechanism that is responsible for the observed efficiency enhancement has been discussed based on the point of optimum symmetry and photocurrent analysis. Besides its simplicity and large-area applicability, the demonstrated contact-printing technique does not involve any vacuum or wet processing steps and thus can be very useful for the roll-based, continuous production scheme for organic BHJ solar cells. - Highlights: • Carrier-selective insertion layer in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells • Simple contact-printing of siloxane oligomers improves cell efficiency. • Printed siloxane layer reduces carrier recombination at electrode surfaces. • Siloxane insertion layer works equally well at both electrode surfaces. • Patterned PDMS stamp shortens the printing time within 100 s

Probing Temperature-Dependent Recombination Kinetics in Polymer:Fullerene Solar Cells by Electric Noise Spectroscopy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giovanni Landi

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The influence of solvent additives on the temperature behavior of both charge carrier transport and recombination kinetics in bulk heterojunction solar cells has been investigated by electric noise spectroscopy. The observed differences in charge carrier lifetime and mobility are attributed to a different film ordering and donor-acceptor phase segregation in the blend. The measured temperature dependence indicates that bimolecular recombination is the dominant loss mechanism in the active layer, affecting the device performance. Blend devices prepared with a high-boiling-point solvent additive show a decreased recombination rate at the donor-acceptor interface as compared to the ones prepared with the reference solvent. A clear correlation between the device performance and the morphological properties is discussed in terms of the temperature dependence of the mobility-lifetime product.

Persistent photoconductivity due to trapping of induced charges in Sn/ZnO thin film based UV photodetector

Science.gov (United States)

Yadav, Harish Kumar; Sreenivas, K.; Gupta, Vinay

2010-05-01

Photoconductivity relaxation in rf magnetron sputtered ZnO thin films integrated with ultrathin tin metal overlayer is investigated. Charge carriers induced at the ZnO-metal interface by the tin metal overlayer compensates the surface lying trap centers and leads to the enhanced photoresponse. On termination of ultraviolet radiation, recombination of the photoexcited electrons with the valence band holes leaves the excess carriers deeply trapped at the recombination center and holds the dark conductivity level at a higher value. Equilibrium between the recombination centers and valence band, due to trapped charges, eventually stimulates the persistent photoconductivity in the Sn/ZnO photodetectors.

Persistent photoconductivity due to trapping of induced charges in Sn/ZnO thin film based UV photodetector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yadav, Harish Kumar; Sreenivas, K.; Gupta, Vinay

2010-01-01

Photoconductivity relaxation in rf magnetron sputtered ZnO thin films integrated with ultrathin tin metal overlayer is investigated. Charge carriers induced at the ZnO-metal interface by the tin metal overlayer compensates the surface lying trap centers and leads to the enhanced photoresponse. On termination of ultraviolet radiation, recombination of the photoexcited electrons with the valence band holes leaves the excess carriers deeply trapped at the recombination center and holds the dark conductivity level at a higher value. Equilibrium between the recombination centers and valence band, due to trapped charges, eventually stimulates the persistent photoconductivity in the Sn/ZnO photodetectors.

Carrier population control and surface passivation in solar cells

KAUST Repository

Cuevas, Andres; Wan, Yimao; Yan, Di; Samundsett, Christian; Allen, Thomas; Zhang, Xinyu; Cui, Jie; Bullock, James

2018-01-01

Controlling the concentration of charge carriers near the surface is essential for solar cells. It permits to form regions with selective conductivity for either electrons or holes and it also helps to reduce the rate at which they recombine

Effect of degree of order of silicon dioxide on localization processes of non-equilibrium charge carriers under the influence of gamma-radiation

CERN Document Server

Garibov, A A; Agaev, T N

1999-01-01

The effect of the degree of order of SiO sub 2 on the localization process of non-equilibrium charge carriers (NCC) when exposed to gamma-quanta at 77 K has been investigated. It has been found that with decreasing SiO sub 2 structure degree of order, a localization probability of NCC increases. A contribution of surface defect states in SiO sub 2 to localization, migration and recombination annihilation processes of NCC induced by ionizing radiation has been determined.

Relationship between defect density and charge carrier transport in amorphous and microcrystalline silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Astakhov, Oleksandr; Carius, Reinhard; Finger, Friedhelm; Petrusenko, Yuri; Borysenko, Valery; Barankov, Dmytro

2009-01-01

The influence of dangling-bond defects and the position of the Fermi level on the charge carrier transport properties in undoped and phosphorous doped thin-film silicon with structure compositions all the way from highly crystalline to amorphous is investigated. The dangling-bond density is varied reproducibly over several orders of magnitude by electron bombardment and subsequent annealing. The defects are investigated by electron-spin-resonance and photoconductivity spectroscopies. Comparing intrinsic amorphous and microcrystalline silicon, it is found that the relationship between defect density and photoconductivity is different in both undoped materials, while a similar strong influence of the position of the Fermi level on photoconductivity via the charge carrier lifetime is found in the doped materials. The latter allows a quantitative determination of the value of the transport gap energy in microcrystalline silicon. The photoconductivity in intrinsic microcrystalline silicon is, on one hand, considerably less affected by the bombardment but, on the other hand, does not generally recover with annealing of the defects and is independent from the spin density which itself can be annealed back to the as-deposited level. For amorphous silicon and material prepared close to the crystalline growth regime, the results for nonequilibrium transport fit perfectly to a recombination model based on direct capture into neutral dangling bonds over a wide range of defect densities. For the heterogeneous microcrystalline silicon, this model fails completely. The application of photoconductivity spectroscopy in the constant photocurrent mode (CPM) is explored for the entire structure composition range over a wide variation in defect densities. For amorphous silicon previously reported linear correlation between the spin density and the subgap absorption is confirmed for defect densities below 10 18 cm -3 . Beyond this defect level, a sublinear relation is found i.e., not

Reduced Charge Transfer Exciton Recombination in Organic Semiconductor Heterojunctions by Molecular Doping

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deschler, Felix; Da Como, Enrico; Limmer, Thomas; Tautz, Raphael; Godde, Tillmann; Bayer, Manfred; von Hauff, Elizabeth; Yilmaz, Seyfullah; Allard, Sybille; Scherf, Ullrich; Feldmann, Jochen

2011-01-01

We investigate the effect of molecular doping on the recombination of electrons and holes localized at conjugated-polymer–fullerene interfaces. We demonstrate that a low concentration of p-type dopant molecules (<4% weight) reduces the interfacial recombination via charge transfer excitons and

Thermal Annealing Reduces Geminate Recombination in TQ1:N2200 All-Polymer Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Karuthedath, Safakath

2018-03-27

A combination of steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopic measurements is used to investigate the photophysics of the all-polymer bulk heterojunction system TQ1:N2200. Upon thermal annealing a doubling of the external quantum efficiency and an improved fill factor (FF) is observed, resulting in an increase in the power conversion efficiency. Carrier extraction is similar for both blends, as demonstrated by time-resolved electric-field-induced second harmonic generation experiments in conjunction with transient photocurrent studies, spanning the ps-µs time range. Complementary transient absorption spectroscopy measurements reveal that the different quantum efficiencies originate from differences in charge carrier separation and recombination at the polymer-polymer interface: in as-spun samples ~35 % of the charges are bound in interfacial charge-transfer states and recombine geminately, while this pool is reduced to ~7 % in thermally-annealed sample, resulting in higher short-circuit currents. Time-delayed collection field experiments demonstrate a field-dependent charge generation process in as-spun samples, which reduces the FF. In contrast, field-dependence of charge generation is weak in annealed films. While both devices exhibit significant non-geminate recombination competing with charge extraction, causing low FFs, our results demonstrate that the donor/acceptor interface in all-polymer solar cells can be favourably altered to enhance charge separation, without compromising charge transport and extraction.

Interplay Between Side Chain Pattern, Polymer Aggregation, and Charge Carrier Dynamics in PBDTTPD:PCBM Bulk-Heterojunction Solar Cells

KAUST Repository

Dyer-Smith, Clare

2015-05-01

Poly(benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene–alt–thieno[3,4-c]pyrrole-4,6-dione) (PBDTTPD) polymer donors with linear side-chains yield bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of about 4% with phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl ester (PC71BM) as the acceptor, while a PBDTTPD polymer with a combination of branched and linear substituents yields a doubling of the PCE to 8%. Using transient optical spectroscopy it is shown that while the exciton dissociation and ultrafast charge generation steps are not strongly affected by the side chain modifications, the polymer with branched side chains exhibits a decreased rate of nongeminate recombination and a lower fraction of sub-nanosecond geminate recombination. In turn the yield of long-lived charge carriers increases, resulting in a 33% increase in short circuit current (J sc). In parallel, the two polymers show distinct grazing incidence X-ray scattering spectra indicative of the presence of stacks with different orientation patterns in optimized thin-film BHJ devices. Independent of the packing pattern the spectroscopic data also reveals the existence of polymer aggregates in the pristine polymer films as well as in both blends which trap excitons and hinder their dissociation.

Mechanism of biphasic charge recombination and accumulation in TiO2 mesoporous structured perovskite solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Hao-Yi; Wang, Yi; Yu, Man; Han, Jun; Guo, Zhi-Xin; Ai, Xi-Cheng; Zhang, Jian-Ping; Qin, Yujun

2016-04-28

Organic-inorganic halide perovskite solar cells are becoming the next big thing in the photovoltaic field owing to their rapidly developing photoelectric conversion performance. Herein, mesoporous structured perovskite devices with various perovskite grain sizes are fabricated by a sequential dropping method, and the charge recombination dynamics is investigated by transient optical-electric measurements. All devices exhibit an overall power conversion efficiency around 15%. More importantly, a biphasic trap-limited charge recombination process is proposed and interpreted by taking into account the specific charge accumulation mechanism in perovskite solar cells. At low Fermi levels, photo-generated electrons predominately populate in the perovskite phase, while at high Fermi levels, most electrons occupy traps in mesoporous TiO2. As a result, the dynamics of charge recombination is, respectively, dominated by the perovskite phase and mesoporous TiO2 in these two cases. The present work would give a new perspective on the charge recombination process in meso-structured perovskite solar cells.

The effects of interfacial recombination and injection barrier on the electrical characteristics of perovskite solar cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lin Xing Shi

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Charge carrier recombination in the perovskite solar cells (PSCs has a deep influence on the electrical performance, such as open circuit voltage, short circuit current, fill factor and ultimately power conversion efficiency. The impacts of injection barrier, recombination channels, doping properties of carrier transport layers and light intensity on the performance of PSCs are theoretically investigated by drift-diffusion model in this work. The results indicate that due to the injection barrier at the interfaces of perovskite and carrier transport layer, the accumulated carriers modify the electric field distribution throughout the PSCs. Thus, a zero electric field is generated at a specific applied voltage, with greatly increases the interfacial recombination, resulting in a local kink of current density-voltage (J-V curve. This work provides an effective strategy to improve the efficiency of PSCs by pertinently reducing both the injection barrier and interfacial recombination.

Charge carrier coherence and Hall effect in organic semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, H. T.; Gartstein, Y. N.; Podzorov, V.

2016-01-01

Hall effect measurements are important for elucidating the fundamental charge transport mechanisms and intrinsic mobility in organic semiconductors. However, Hall effect studies frequently reveal an unconventional behavior that cannot be readily explained with the simple band-semiconductor Hall effect model. Here, we develop an analytical model of Hall effect in organic field-effect transistors in a regime of coexisting band and hopping carriers. The model, which is supported by the experiments, is based on a partial Hall voltage compensation effect, occurring because hopping carriers respond to the transverse Hall electric field and drift in the direction opposite to the Lorentz force acting on band carriers. We show that this can lead in particular to an underdeveloped Hall effect observed in organic semiconductors with substantial off-diagonal thermal disorder. Our model captures the main features of Hall effect in a variety of organic semiconductors and provides an analytical description of Hall mobility, carrier density and carrier coherence factor. PMID:27025354

Charge carrier coherence and Hall effect in organic semiconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yi, H T; Gartstein, Y N; Podzorov, V

2016-03-30

Hall effect measurements are important for elucidating the fundamental charge transport mechanisms and intrinsic mobility in organic semiconductors. However, Hall effect studies frequently reveal an unconventional behavior that cannot be readily explained with the simple band-semiconductor Hall effect model. Here, we develop an analytical model of Hall effect in organic field-effect transistors in a regime of coexisting band and hopping carriers. The model, which is supported by the experiments, is based on a partial Hall voltage compensation effect, occurring because hopping carriers respond to the transverse Hall electric field and drift in the direction opposite to the Lorentz force acting on band carriers. We show that this can lead in particular to an underdeveloped Hall effect observed in organic semiconductors with substantial off-diagonal thermal disorder. Our model captures the main features of Hall effect in a variety of organic semiconductors and provides an analytical description of Hall mobility, carrier density and carrier coherence factor.

One-carrier free space charge motion under applied voltage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camargo, P.C.; Ferreira, G.F.L.

1976-01-01

The system of partial differential equations describing the one-carrier free space-charge motion under a given applied voltage is transformed into a system of two ordinary differential equations. The method is applied to find the external current injection [pt

Nonlinear charge transport in bipolar semiconductors due to electron heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molina-Valdovinos, S.; Gurevich, Yu.G.

2016-01-01

It is known that when strong electric field is applied to a semiconductor sample, the current voltage characteristic deviates from the linear response. In this letter, we propose a new point of view of nonlinearity in semiconductors which is associated with the electron temperature dependence on the recombination rate. The heating of the charge carriers breaks the balance between generation and recombination, giving rise to nonequilibrium charge carriers concentration and nonlinearity. - Highlights: • A new mechanism of nonlinearity of current-voltage characteristic (CVC) is proposed. • The hot electron temperature violates the equilibrium between electrons and holes. • This violation gives rise to nonequilibrium concentration of electrons and holes. • This leads to nonlinear CVC (along with the heating nonlinearity).

Nonlinear charge transport in bipolar semiconductors due to electron heating

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Molina-Valdovinos, S., E-mail: sergiom@fisica.uaz.edu.mx [Universidad Autónoma de Zacatecas, Unidad Académica de Física, Calzada Solidaridad esq. Paseo, La Bufa s/n, CP 98060, Zacatecas, Zac, México (Mexico); Gurevich, Yu.G. [Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Departamento de Física, Av. IPN 2508, México D.F., CP 07360, México (Mexico)

2016-05-27

It is known that when strong electric field is applied to a semiconductor sample, the current voltage characteristic deviates from the linear response. In this letter, we propose a new point of view of nonlinearity in semiconductors which is associated with the electron temperature dependence on the recombination rate. The heating of the charge carriers breaks the balance between generation and recombination, giving rise to nonequilibrium charge carriers concentration and nonlinearity. - Highlights: • A new mechanism of nonlinearity of current-voltage characteristic (CVC) is proposed. • The hot electron temperature violates the equilibrium between electrons and holes. • This violation gives rise to nonequilibrium concentration of electrons and holes. • This leads to nonlinear CVC (along with the heating nonlinearity).

Influence of packing motives on charge Carrier mobility in perylene tetracarboxdiimide derivatives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

May, Falk; Andrienko, Denis [Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz (Germany); Marcon, Valentina [Center of Smart Interfaces, Darmstadt (Germany)

2010-07-01

Discotic mesophases are known for their ability to self-assemble into columnar structures and can serve as semiconducting molecular wires. Charge carrier mobility along these wires strongly depends on molecular packing which is controlled by intermolecular interactions. In this work we compare the influence of side chains on the packing motives of perylene tetracarboxdiimide (PDI) derivatives. Two different (alkyl and glycol) side chains are considered. We first establish how the packing of side chains affects the molecular orientation within the columns using molecular dynamics. Then, using the high temperature non-adiabatic limit of Marcus theory for hopping rates and solving the rate equation for charge transport, we analyze the link between the secondary structure and charge carrier mobility. This analysis eventually provides a pathway to rational design of columnar assemblies of PDI derivatives with high charge mobilities.

Charge and excitation dynamics in semiconducting polymer layers doped with emitters and charge carrier traps; Ladungstraeger- und Anregungsdynamik in halbleitenden Polymerschichten mit eingemischten Emittern und Ladungstraegerfallen

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jaiser, F

2006-06-15

Light-emitting diodes generate light from the recombination of injected charge carriers. This can be obtained in inorganic materials. Here, it is necessary to produce highly ordered crystalline structures that determine the properties of the device. Another possibility is the utilization of organic molecules and polymers. Based on the versatile organic chemistry, it is possible to tune the properties of the semiconducting polymers already during synthesis. In addition, semiconducting polymers are mechanically flexible. Thus, it is possible to construct flexible, large-area light sources and displays. The first light-emitting diode using a polymer emitter was presented in 1990. Since then, this field of research has grown rapidly up to the point where first products are commercially available. It has become clear that the properties of polymer light-emitting diodes such as color and efficiency can be improved by incorporating multiple components inside the active layer. At the same time, this gives rise to new interactions between these components. While components are often added either to improve the charge transport or to change the emission, it has to made sure that other processes are not influenced in a negative manner. This work investigates some of these interactions and describes them with simple physical models. First, blue light-emitting diodes based on polyfluorene are analyzed. This polymer is an efficient emitter, but it is susceptible to the formation of chemical defects that can not be suppressed completely. These defects form electron traps, but their effect can be compensated by the addition of hole traps. The underlying process, namely the changed charge carrier balance, is explained. In the following, blend systems with dendronized emitters that form electron traps are investigated. The different influence of the insulating shell on the charge and energy transfer between polymer host and the emissive core of the dendrimers is examined. In the

Effect of dielectronic recombination on the charge-state distribution ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. The effect of dielectronic recombination in determining charge-state distribu- tion and radiative emission from a laser-produced carbon plasma has been investigated in the collisional radiative ionization equilibrium. It is observed that the relative abundances of different ions in the plasma, and soft X-ray emission ...

Terahertz transport dynamics of graphene charge carriers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buron, Jonas Christian Due

The electronic transport dynamics of graphene charge carriers at femtosecond (10-15 s) to picosecond (10-12 s) time scales are investigated using terahertz (1012 Hz) time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS). The technique uses sub-picosecond pulses of electromagnetic radiation to gauge the electrodynamic...... response of thin conducting films at up to multi-terahertz frequencies. In this thesis THz-TDS is applied towards two main goals; (1) investigation of the fundamental carrier transport dynamics in graphene at femtosecond to picosecond timescales and (2) application of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy...... to rapid and non-contact electrical characterization of large-area graphene, relevant for industrial integration. We show that THz-TDS is an accurate and reliable probe of graphene sheet conductance, and that the technique provides insight into fundamental aspects of the nanoscopic nature of conduction...

Charge exchange as a recombination mechanism in high-temperature plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hulse, R.A.; Post, D.E.; Mikkelsen, D.R.

1980-03-01

Charge exchange with neutral hydrogen is examined as a recombination mechanism for multi-charged impurity ions present in high-temperature fusion plasmas. At sufficiently low electron densities, fluxes of atomic hydrogen produced by either the injection of neutral heating beams or the background of thermal neutrals can yield an important or even dominant recombination process for such ions. Equilibrium results are given for selected impurity elements showing the altered ionization balance and radiative cooling rate produced by the presence of various neutral populations. A notable result is that the stripping of impurities to relatively non-radiative ionization states with increasing electron temperature can be postponed or entirely prevented by the application of intense neutral beam heating power. A time dependent calculation modelling the behavior of iron in recent PLT tokamak high power neutral beam heating experiments is also presented

Charge trapping and carrier transport mechanism in silicon-rich silicon oxynitride

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu Zhenrui; Aceves, Mariano; Carrillo, Jesus; Lopez-Estopier, Rosa

2006-01-01

The charge-trapping and carrier transport properties of silicon-rich silicon oxynitride (SRO:N) were studied. The SRO:N films were deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition. Infrared (IR) and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) measurements were performed to characterize their structural properties. Capacitance versus voltage and current versus voltage measurements (I-V) were used to study the charge-trapping and carrier transport mechanism. IR and TEM measurements revealed the existence of Si nanodots in SRO:N films. I-V measurements revealed that there are two conduction regimes divided by a threshold voltage V T . When the applied voltage is smaller than V T , the current is dominated by the charge transfer between the SRO:N and substrate; and in this regime only dynamic charging/discharging of the SRO:N layer is observed. When the voltage is larger than V T , the current increases rapidly and is dominated by the Poole-Frenkel mechanism; and in this regime, large permanent trapped charge density is obtained. Nitrogen incorporation significantly reduced the silicon nanodots or defects near the SRO:N/Si interface. However, a significant increase of the density of silicon nanodot in the bulk of the SRO:N layer is obtained

The state of itinerant charge carriers and thermoelectric effects in correlated oxide metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuzemsky, A.L.; Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trieste

2000-10-01

We analyzed the physics of transport processes and, in particular, the thermoelectric power in the mercurocuprates and other cuprates to get a better insight into the state of the carriers in these compounds. The actual problems related to the complicated mechanisms of carriers scattering above Tc are discussed. The experimental studies of thermoelectric power showed that the state of carriers in cuprates can be influenced by many complicated scattering processes, however the underlying mechanism for the linear decreasing of the TEP with increasing the temperature for most hole-doped HTSC cuprates is still not yet known. The actual problems related to the complicated mechanisms of carriers scattering above Tc are discussed for a few models of charge transport. A comparison between the analytical and experimental results is also made. It is concluded that the crucial factor for the understanding of the transport properties of correlated oxide metals is the nature of itinerant charge carriers, i.e. renormalized quasiparticles. (author)

Mapping Charge Carrier Density in Organic Thin-Film Transistors by Time-Resolved Photoluminescence Lifetime Studies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Leißner, Till; Jensen, Per Baunegaard With; Liu, Yiming

2017-01-01

The device performance of organic transistors is strongly influenced by the charge carrier distribution. A range of factors effect this distribution, including injection barriers at the metal-semiconductor interface, the morphology of the organic film, and charge traps at the dielectric/organic...... interface or at grain boundaries. In our comprehensive experimental and analytical work we demonstrate a method to characterize the charge carrier density in organic thin-film transistors using time-resolved photoluminescence spectroscopy. We developed a numerical model that describes the electrical...... and optical responses consistently. We determined the densities of free and trapped holes at the interface between the organic layer and the SiO2 gate dielectric by comparison to electrical measurements. Furthermore by applying fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy we determine the local charge carrier...

Charge-carrier dynamics and Coulomb effects in semiconductor tetrapods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mauser, Christian

2011-01-01

In this thesis the Coulomb interaction and its influence on localization effects and dynamics of charge carriers in semiconductor nanocrystals were studied. In the studied nanostructures it deals with colloidal tetrapod heterostructures, which consist of a cadmium selenide (CdSe) core and four tetraedrical grown cadmium sulfide (CdS) respectively cadmium telluride (CdTe) legs, which exhibit a type-I respectively type-II band transition. The dynamics and interactions were studied by means of photoluminescence (PL) and absorption measurements both on the ensemble and on single nanoparticles, as well as time-resolved PL and transient absorption spectroscopy. Additionally theoretical simulations of the wave-function distributions were performed, which are based on the effective-mass approximation. The special band structure of the CdSe/CdS tetrapods offers a unique possibility to study the Coulomb interaction. The flat conduction band in these heterostructures makes the electron via the Coulomb interaction sensitive to the localization position of the hole within the structure. The valence band has instead a potential maximum in the CdSe, which leads to a directed localization of the hole and the photoluminescence of the core. Polarization-resolved measurements showed hereby an anisotropy of the photoluminescence, which could be explained by means of simulations of the wave-function distribution with an asymmetry at the branching point. Charge-carrier localization occur mainly both in longer structures and in trap states in the CdS leg and can be demonstrated in form of a dual emission from a nanocrystal. The charge-carrier dynamics of electron and hole in tetrapods is indeed coupled by the Coulomb interaction, however it cannot be completely described in an exciton picture. The coupled dynamics and the Coulomb interaction were studied concerning a possible influence of the geometry in CdSe/CdS nanorods and compared with those of the tetrapods. The interactions of the

Combined effects of space charge and energetic disorder on photocurrent efficiency loss of field-dependent organic photovoltaic devices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoon, Sangcheol; Hwang, Inchan; Park, Byoungchoo

2015-01-01

The loss of photocurrent efficiency by space-charge effects in organic solar cells with energetic disorder was investigated to account for how energetic disorder incorporates space-charge effects, utilizing a drift-diffusion model with field-dependent charge-pair dissociation and suppressed bimolecular recombination. Energetic disorder, which induces the Poole–Frenkel behavior of charge carrier mobility, is known to decrease the mobility of charge carriers and thus reduces photovoltaic performance. We found that even if the mobilities are the same in the absence of space-charge effects, the degree of energetic disorder can be an additional parameter affecting photocurrent efficiency when space-charge effects occur. Introducing the field-dependence parameter that reflects the energetic disorder, the behavior of efficiency loss with energetic disorder can differ depending on which charge carrier is subject to energetic disorder. While the energetic disorder that is applied to higher-mobility charge carriers decreases photocurrent efficiency further, the efficiency loss can be suppressed when energetic disorder is applied to lower-mobility charge carriers. (paper)

A Comparison of the recombination efficiency in green-emitting InGaN quantum dots and quantum wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Il-Kyu; Kwon, Min-Ki; Park, Seong-Ju

2012-01-01

A comparative investigation of the recombination efficiency of green-emitting InGaN quantum dots (QDs) and quantum wells (QWs) is reported in this paper. Optical investigations using temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) results showed that the internal quantum efficiency of InGaN QDs at room temperature was 8.7 times larger than that found for InGaN QWs because they provided dislocation-free recombination sites for the electrical charge carriers. The excitation power-dependent PL and electroluminescence results showed that the effect of the polarization induced electric field on the recombination process of electrical charge carriers in the QDs was negligibly small whereas it was dominant in the QWs. These results indicate that InGaN QDs are more beneficial than QWs in improving the luminescence efficiency of LEDs in the green spectral range.

Interfacial Charge Transfer States in Condensed Phase Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Vandewal, Koen

2016-05-01

Intermolecular charge transfer (CT) states at the interface between electron-donating (D) and electron-accepting (A) materials in organic thin films are characterized by absorption and emission bands within the optical gap of the interfacing materials. CT states efficiently generate charge carriers for some D-A combinations, and others show high fluorescence quantum efficiencies. These properties are exploited in organic solar cells, photodetectors, and light-emitting diodes. This review summarizes experimental and theoretical work on the electronic structure and interfacial energy landscape at condensed matter D-A interfaces. Recent findings on photogeneration and recombination of free charge carriers via CT states are discussed, and relations between CT state properties and optoelectronic device parameters are clarified.

Efficient photogeneration of charge carriers in silicon nanowires with a radial doping gradient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murthy, D H K; Houtepen, A J; Savenije, T J; Siebbeles, L D A; Xu, T; Nys, J P; Krzeminski, C; Grandidier, B; Stievenard, D; Chen, W H; Pareige, P; Jomard, F; Patriarche, G; Lebedev, O I

2011-01-01

by performing electrodeless time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements, the efficiency of charge carrier generation, their mobility, and the decay kinetics on photoexcitation were studied in arrays of Si nanowires grown by the vapor-liquid-solid mechanism. Large enhancements in the magnitude of the photoconductance and charge carrier lifetime are found depending on the incorporation of impurities during the growth. They are explained by the internal electric field that builds up, due to higher doped sidewalls, as revealed by detailed analysis of the nanowire morphology and chemical composition.

Interfacial charge trapping in the polymer solar cells and its elimination by solvent annealing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. K. Chauhan

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The PCDTBT:PCBM solar cells were fabricated adopting a tandem layer approach to investigate the critical issues of charge trapping, radiation absorption, and efficiency in polymer solar cells. This layered structure was found to be a source of charge trapping which was identified and confirmed by impedance spectroscopy. The low efficiency in multilayered structures was related to trapping of photo-generated carriers and low carrier mobility, and thus an increased recombination. Solvent annealing of the structures in tetrahydrofuran vapors was found beneficial in homogenizing the active layer, dissolving additional interfaces, and elimination of charge traps which improved the carrier mobilities and eventually the device efficiencies.

The Welsh Single-Use Carrier Bag Charge and behavioural spillover

OpenAIRE

Thomas, Gregory O.; Poortinga, Wouter; Sautkina, Elena

2016-01-01

A Single-Use Carrier Bag Charge (SUCBC) requires bags to be sold for a small fee, instead of free of charge. SUCBCs may produce ‘spillover’ effects, where other pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours could increase or decrease. We investigate the 2011 Welsh SUCBC, and whether spillover occurs in other behaviours and attitudes. Using the Understanding Society Survey (n = 17,636), results show that use of own shopping bags increased in Wales, compared to England and Scotland. Increased use ...

Loss of heterozygosity and carrier identification in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: a familiar case with recombination event

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fonseca-Mendoza Dora Janeth

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Duchenne/Becker Muscular Dystrophy (DMD/BMD is an X-linked recessive disease characterizedby muscular weakness. It is caused by mutations on the dystrophin gen. Loss of heterozygosityallows us to identify female carriers of deletions on the dystrophin gen. Objective: identifyfemale carriers in a family with a patient affected by DMD. Material and methods: nine familymembers and the affected child were analyzed using DNA extraction and posterior amplificationof ten STRs on the dystrophin gen. Haplotypes were constructed and the carrier status determinedin two of the six women analyzed due to loss of heterozygosity in three STRs. Additionally, weobserved a recombination event. Conclusions: loss of heterozygosity allows us to establish witha certainty of 100% the carrier status of females with deletions on the dystrophin gen. By theconstruction of haplotypes we were able to identify the X chromosome with the deletion in twoof the six women analyzed. We also determined a recombination event in one of the sisters of theaffected child. These are described with a high frequency (12%. A possible origin for the mutationis a gonadal mosaicism in the maternal grandfather or in the mother of the affected childin a very early stage in embryogensis. This can be concluded using the analysis of haplotypes.

Explanation of low efficiency droop in semipolar (202¯1¯) InGaN/GaN LEDs through evaluation of carrier recombination coefficients

Science.gov (United States)

Monavarian, Morteza; Rashidi, Arman; Aragon, Andrew; Oh, Sang H.; Nami, Mohsen; DenBaars, Steve P.; Feezell, Daniel

2017-08-01

We report the carrier dynamics and recombination coefficients in single-quantum-well semipolar $(20\\bar 2\\bar 1)$ InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes emitting at 440 nm with 93% peak internal quantum efficiency. The differential carrier lifetime is analyzed for various injection current densities from 5 $A/cm^2$ to 10 $kA/cm^2$, and the corresponding carrier densities are obtained. The coupling of internal quantum efficiency and differential carrier lifetime vs injected carrier density ($n$) enables the separation of the radiative and nonradiative recombination lifetimes and the extraction of the Shockley-Read-Hall (SRH) nonradiative ($A$), radiative ($B$), and Auger ($C$) recombination coefficients and their $n$-dependency considering the saturation of the SRH recombination rate and phase-space filling. The results indicate a three to four-fold higher $A$ and a nearly two-fold higher $B_0$ for this semipolar orientation compared to that of $c$-plane reported using a similar approach [A. David and M. J. Grundmann, Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 103504 (2010)]. In addition, the carrier density in semipolar $(20\\bar 2\\bar 1)$ is found to be lower than the carrier density in $c$-plane for a given current density, which is important for suppressing efficiency droop. The semipolar LED also shows a two-fold lower $C_0$ compared to $c$-plane, which is consistent with the lower relative efficiency droop for the semipolar LED (57% vs. 69%). The lower carrier density, higher $B_0$ coefficient, and lower $C_0$ (Auger) coefficient are directly responsible for the high efficiency and low efficiency droop reported in semipolar $(20\\bar 2\\bar 1)$ LEDs.

Radiative recombination channels in Si/Si1−xGex nanostructures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berashevich, Yu. A.; Panfilenok, A. S.; Borisenko, V. E.

2008-01-01

Using the solution of the 2D Schrödinger equation, systematic features of distribution of charge carriers in the Si/Si 1−x Ge x nanostructures and variations in the efficiency of radiative recombination when pyramidal 2D clusters are transformed into 3D dome clusters with increasing thickness of nanolayers are established. The effect of the composition of the layers on the efficiency of the elastic stress in the structure and, as a consequence, the variation in conduction bands and valence band of the Si 1−x Ge x nanostructures is taken into account. On realization of the suggested kinetics model, which describes recombination processes in crystalline structures, saturation of radiation intensity with increasing the pump intensity caused by an increase in the contribution of the Auger recombination is observed. A decrease in the contribution of the nonradiative Auger recombination is attained by decreasing the injection rate of carriers into the clusters, and more precisely, by an increase in the cluster concentration and an increase in the rate of radiative recombination.

Experimental investigation of the excess charge and time constant of minority carriers in the thin diffused layer of 0.1 Ohm-cm silicon solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Godlewski, M. P.; Brandhorst, H. W., Jr.; Lindholm, F. A.; Sah, C. T.

1976-01-01

The observed low open-circuit voltage in 0.1 Ohm-cm solar cells is probably related to an excessively high diode saturation current. Theoretical studies conducted by Lindholm et al. (1975) and by Godlewski et al. (1975) have shown that a high saturation current could be produced by either high recombination rates or bandgap narrowing effects. A description is given of an investigation which shows that bandgap narrowing effects have a first order significance in determining the charge carrier transport controlling the open-circuit voltage of 0.1 Ohm-cm silicon solar cells.

Hot Charge Carrier Transmission from Plasmonic Nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Christopher, Phillip; Moskovits, Martin

2017-05-01

Surface plasmons have recently been harnessed to carry out processes such as photovoltaic current generation, redox photochemistry, photocatalysis, and photodetection, all of which are enabled by separating energetic (hot) electrons and holes—processes that, previously, were the domain of semiconductor junctions. Currently, the power conversion efficiencies of systems using plasmon excitation are low. However, the very large electron/hole per photon quantum efficiencies observed for plasmonic devices fan the hope of future improvements through a deeper understanding of the processes involved and through better device engineering, especially of critical interfaces such as those between metallic and semiconducting nanophases (or adsorbed molecules). In this review, we focus on the physics and dynamics governing plasmon-derived hot charge carrier transfer across, and the electronic structure at, metal-semiconductor (molecule) interfaces, where we feel the barriers contributing to low efficiencies reside. We suggest some areas of opportunity that deserve early attention in the still-evolving field of hot carrier transmission from plasmonic nanostructures to neighboring phases.

Effects of Radiative Recombination and Photon Recycling on Minority Carrier Lifetime in Epitaxial GaINAsSb Lattice-matched to GaSb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

S Anikeev; D Donetsky; G Belenky; S Luryl; CA Wang; DA Shiau; M Dashiell; J Beausang; G Nichols

2004-01-01

Radiative coefficient (B) is a fundamental recombination parameter which is of importance for a variety of optoelectronic minority carrier devices. Radiative recombination was comprehensively studied for wide-bandgap III-V compounds, while for 0.5-0.6 eV materials experimental data are quite limited and demonstrate significant spreading. Here we report excess carrier lifetime in isotype double heterostructures (DHs) of 0.54-eV p-GaInAsSb capped with p-AlGaAsSb, and grown lattice-matched to GaSb. Lifetime was measured by time-resolved photoluminescence (dynamic lifetime) as well as by optical response to sinusoidal excitation (static lifetime). Wide range of GaInAsSb layer thickness was used to separate contributions from interface and radiative recombination processes. Radiative coefficient and recombination velocity at GaInAsSb/AlGaAsSb heterointerface were determined. Temperature dependence of lifetime demonstrated significant contribution of radiative effects to the total recombination

Modelling of the charge carrier mobility in disordered linear polymer materials

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Toman, Petr; Menšík, Miroslav; Bartkowiak, W.; Pfleger, Jiří

2017-01-01

Roč. 19, č. 11 (2017), s. 7760-7771 ISSN 1463-9076 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-05095S Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) M200501204 Program:M Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : charge carrier mobility * conjugated polymer * charge transport modelling Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) Impact factor: 4.123, year: 2016

Double carriers pulse DLTS for the characterization of electron-hole recombination process in GaAsN grown by chemical beam epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouzazi, Boussairi; Suzuki, Hidetoshi; Kojima, Nobuaki; Ohshita, Yoshio; Yamaguchi, Masafumi

2011-01-01

A nitrogen-related electron trap (E1), located approximately 0.33 eV from the conduction band minimum of GaAsN grown by chemical beam epitaxy, was confirmed by investigating the dependence of its density with N concentration. This level exhibits a high capture cross section compared with that of native defects in GaAs. Its density increases significantly with N concentration, persists following post-thermal annealing, and was found to be quasi-uniformly distributed. These results indicate that E1 is a stable defect that is formed during growth to compensate for the tensile strain caused by N. Furthermore, E1 was confirmed to act as a recombination center by comparing its activation energy with that of the recombination current in the depletion region of the alloy. However, this technique cannot characterize the electron-hole (e-h) recombination process. For that, double carrier pulse deep level transient spectroscopy is used to confirm the non-radiative e-h recombination process through E1, to estimate the capture cross section of holes, and to evaluate the energy of multi-phonon emission. Furthermore, a configuration coordinate diagram is modeled based on the physical parameters of E1. -- Research Highlights: → Double carrier pulse DLTS method confirms the existence of SRH center. → The recombination center in GaAsN depends on nitrogen concentration. → Minority carrier lifetime in GaAsN is less than 1 ns. → A non-radiative recombination center exits in GaAsN.

Minority carrier lifetime in mid-wavelength infrared InAs/InAsSb superlattices: Photon recycling and the role of radiative and Shockley-Read-Hall recombination mechanisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Höglund, L.; Ting, D. Z.; Soibel, A.; Fisher, A.; Khoshakhlagh, A.; Hill, C. J.; Keo, S.; Gunapala, S. D.

2014-01-01

The influence of radiative recombination on the minority carrier lifetime in mid-wavelength InAs/InAsSb superlattices was investigated. From the lifetime's dependence on temperature, photon recycling, and carrier concentration, it was demonstrated that radiative lifetime dominates for carrier concentrations >5 × 10 14  cm −3 , and Shockley-Read-Hall recombination starts to dominate the minority carrier lifetime for carrier concentrations <5 × 10 14  cm −3 . An observed increase of the minority carrier lifetime with increasing superlattice thickness was attributed to photon recycling, and good agreement between measured and theoretical values of the photon recycling factor was obtained

Charge carrier transport mechanisms in nanocrystalline indium oxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Forsh, E.A.; Marikutsa, A.V.; Martyshov, M.N.; Forsh, P.A.; Rumyantseva, M.N.; Gaskov, A.M.; Kashkarov, P.K.

2014-01-01

The charge transport properties of nanocrystalline indium oxide (In 2 O 3 ) are studied. A number of nanostructured In 2 O 3 samples with various nanocrystal sizes are prepared by sol–gel method and characterized using various techniques. The mean nanocrystals size varies from 7–8 nm to 18–20 nm depending on the conditions of their preparation. Structural characterizations of the In 2 O 3 samples are performed by means of transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The analysis of dc and ac conductivity in a wide temperature range (T = 50–300 K) shows that at high temperatures charge carrier transport takes place over conduction band and at low temperatures a variable range hopping transport mechanism can be observed. We find out that the temperature of transition from one mechanism to another depends on nanocrystal size: the transition temperature rises when nanocrystals are bigger in size. The average hopping distance between two sites and the activation energy are calculated basing on the analysis of dc conductivity at low temperature. Using random barrier model we show a uniform hopping mechanism taking place in our samples and conclude that nanocrystalline In 2 O 3 can be regarded as a disordered system. - Highlights: • In 2 O 3 samples with various nanocrystal sizes are prepared by sol–gel method. • The mean nanocrystal size varies from 7–8 nm to 18–20 nm. • At high temperatures charge carrier transport takes place over conduction band. • At low temperatures a variable range hopping transport mechanism can be observed. • We show a uniform hopping mechanism taking place in our samples

Study of charge-carrier relaxation in a disordered organic semiconductor by simulating impedance spectroscopy

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mesta, M.; Cottaar, J.; Coehoorn, R.; Bobbert, P.A.

2014-01-01

Impedance spectroscopy is a very sensitive probe of nonstationary charge transport governed by charge-carrier relaxation in devices of disordered organic semiconductors. We simulate impedance spectroscopy measurements of hole-only devices of a polyfluorene-based disordered organic semiconductor by

Studies of the mobility of charge carriers in low-dimensional systems in a transverse DC electric field

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sinyavskii, E. P., E-mail: sinyavskii@gmail.com [Academy of Sciences of Moldova, Institute of Applied Physics (Moldova, Republic of); Karapetyan, S. A., E-mail: karapetyan.sa@gmail.com [Shevchenko Pridnestrovskii State University (Moldova, Republic of)

2011-08-15

The mobility of charge carriers {mu} in a parabolic quantum well in an electric field E directed along the size-confinement axis is calculated. With consideration for scattering of charge carriers at a rough surface, the mobility {mu} is shown to decrease with increasing E. A physical interpretation of this effect is proposed.

Control of charge carrier dynamics in disordered conjugated polymers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hertel, Dirk [Physical Chemistry, University of Cologne, Luxemburgerstr. 116, 50939 Cologne, Germany, (Germany)

2011-07-01

We developed a new method to probe charge carrier mobility on ultrafast time scale. It is based on electric field induced second harmonic generation. The method is applied to prototypical amorphous conjugated polymers of the polyphenylene- and polyfluorene-type. Typically the carrier mobility in these organic polymers decreases with time in a power law fashion from about 1 cm{sup 2}Vs{sup -1} at 1 ps to its stationary value of about 10{sup -6} cm{sup 2}Vs{sup -1} in hundreds of ns. The dynamics of the mobility is discussed. It is shown, that in nanoscale devices the macroscopic mobility is not adequate to describe charge transport. We study the influence of disorder, morphology and temperature on ultrafast transport. At early times the transport is dominated by tunneling and disorder plays already an essential role. Comparison of transient photocurrents with Monte-Carlo simulation reveals that on-chain transport has to be invoked to rationalize our results. The hopping rates for intrachain transport are much larger compared with interchain transport. The results give access to essential transport properties for the development of advanced theoretical models and may help to design improved solar cells.

Enhancing Charge Carrier Lifetime in Metal Oxide Photoelectrodes through Mild Hydrogen Treatment

KAUST Repository

Jang, Ji-Wook

2017-08-25

Widespread application of solar water splitting for energy conversion is largely dependent on the progress in developing not only efficient but also cheap and scalable photoelectrodes. Metal oxides, which can be deposited with scalable techniques and are relatively cheap, are particularly interesting, but high efficiency is still hindered by the poor carrier transport properties (i.e., carrier mobility and lifetime). Here, a mild hydrogen treatment is introduced to bismuth vanadate (BiVO4), which is one of the most promising metal oxide photoelectrodes, as a method to overcome the carrier transport limitations. Time-resolved microwave and terahertz conductivity measurements reveal more than twofold enhancement of the carrier lifetime for the hydrogen-treated BiVO4, without significantly affecting the carrier mobility. This is in contrast to the case of tungsten-doped BiVO4, although hydrogen is also a donor type dopant in BiVO4. The enhancement in carrier lifetime is found to be caused by significant reduction of trap-assisted recombination, either via passivation or reduction of deep trap states related to vanadium antisite on bismuth or vanadium interstitials according to density functional theory calculations. Overall, these findings provide further insights on the interplay between defect modulation and carrier transport in metal oxides, which benefit the development of low-cost, highly-efficient solar energy conversion devices.

Terahertz Conductivity within Colloidal CsPbBr3 Perovskite Nanocrystals: Remarkably High Carrier Mobilities and Large Diffusion Lengths.

Science.gov (United States)

Yettapu, Gurivi Reddy; Talukdar, Debnath; Sarkar, Sohini; Swarnkar, Abhishek; Nag, Angshuman; Ghosh, Prasenjit; Mandal, Pankaj

2016-08-10

Colloidal CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) have emerged as an excellent light emitting material in last one year. Using time domain and time-resolved THz spectroscopy and density functional theory based calculations, we establish 3-fold free carrier recombination mechanism, namely, nonradiative Auger, bimolecular electron-hole recombination, and inefficient trap-assisted recombination in 11 nm sized colloidal CsPbBr3 NCs. Our results confirm a negligible influence of surface defects in trapping charge carriers, which in turn results into desirable intrinsic transport properties, from the perspective of device applications, such as remarkably high carrier mobility (∼4500 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1)), large diffusion length (>9.2 μm), and high luminescence quantum yield (80%). Despite being solution processed and possessing a large surface to volume ratio, this combination of high carrier mobility and diffusion length, along with nearly ideal photoluminescence quantum yield, is unique compared to any other colloidal quantum dot system.

Inhibition of charge recombination for enhanced dye-sensitized solar cells and self-powered UV sensors by surface modification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chu, Liang, E-mail: chuliang@njupt.edu.cn [Advanced Energy Technology Center, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (NUPT), Nanjing 210046 (China); Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics (WNLO)-School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Wuhan 430074 (China); Qin, Zhengfei; Liu, Wei [School of Materials Science and Engineering (SMSE), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications (NUPT), Nanjing 210046 (China); Ma, Xin’guo, E-mail: maxg2013@sohu.com [Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for High-efficiency Utilization of Solar Energy, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068 (China)

2016-12-15

Graphical abstract: Inhibition of charge recombination was utilized to prolong electrode lifetime in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and self-powered UV sensors based on TiO{sub 2}-modified SnO{sub 2} photoelectrodes. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and open-circuit voltage decay measurements indicated that the electron lifetime was significantly prolonged in DSSCs after TiO{sub 2} modification. And in self-powered UV sensors, the sensitivity and response time were enhanced. - Highlights: • The surface modification to inhibit charge recombination was utilized in photovoltaic devices. • Inhibition of charge recombination can prolong electrode lifetime in photovoltaic devices. • Enhanced DSSCs and self-powered UV sensors based on SnO{sub 2} photoelectrodes were obtained by TiO{sub 2} modification. - Abstract: The surface modification to inhibit charge recombination was utilized in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) and self-powered ultraviolet (UV) sensors based on SnO{sub 2} hierarchical microspheres by TiO{sub 2} modification. For DSSCs with SnO{sub 2} photoelectrodes modified by TiO{sub 2}, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) was improved from 1.40% to 4.15% under standard AM 1.5G illumination (100 mW/cm{sup 2}). The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and open-circuit voltage decay measurements indicated that the charge recombination was effectively inhibited, resulting in long electron lifetime. For UV sensors with SnO{sub 2} photoelectrodes modified by TiO{sub 2} layer, the self-powered property was more obvious, and the sensitivity and response time were enhanced from 91 to 6229 and 0.15 s to 0.055 s, respectively. The surface modification can engineer the interface energy to inhibit charge recombination, which is a desirable approach to improve the performance of photoelectric nanodevice.

The impact of long-range electron-hole interaction on the charge separation yield of molecular photocells

Science.gov (United States)

Nemati Aram, Tahereh; Ernzerhof, Matthias; Asgari, Asghar; Mayou, Didier

2017-01-01

We discuss the effects of charge carrier interaction and recombination on the operation of molecular photocells. Molecular photocells are devices where the energy conversion process takes place in a single molecular donor-acceptor complex attached to electrodes. Our investigation is based on the quantum scattering theory, in particular on the Lippmann-Schwinger equation; this minimizes the complexity of the problem while providing useful and non-trivial insight into the mechanism governing photocell operation. In this study, both exciton pair creation and dissociation are treated in the energy domain, and therefore there is access to detailed spectral information, which can be used as a framework to interpret the charge separation yield. We demonstrate that the charge carrier separation is a complex process that is affected by different parameters, such as the strength of the electron-hole interaction and the non-radiative recombination rate. Our analysis helps to optimize the charge separation process and the energy transfer in organic solar cells and in molecular photocells.

Impact of extended defects on recombination in CdTe heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zaunbrecher, Katherine N. [Department of Physics, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523 (United States); National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States); Kuciauskas, Darius; Dippo, Pat; Barnes, Teresa M. [National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Golden, Colorado 80401 (United States); Swartz, Craig H.; Edirisooriya, Madhavie; Ogedengbe, Olanrewaju S.; Sohal, Sandeep; Hancock, Bobby L.; LeBlanc, Elizabeth G.; Jayathilaka, Pathiraja A. R. D.; Myers, Thomas H. [Materials Science, Engineering and Commercialization Program, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas 78666 (United States)

2016-08-29

Heterostructures with CdTe and CdTe{sub 1-x}Se{sub x} (x ∼ 0.01) absorbers between two wider-band-gap Cd{sub 1-x}Mg{sub x}Te barriers (x ∼ 0.25–0.3) were grown by molecular beam epitaxy to study carrier generation and recombination in bulk materials with passivated interfaces. Using a combination of confocal photoluminescence (PL), time-resolved PL, and low-temperature PL emission spectroscopy, two extended defect types were identified and the impact of these defects on charge-carrier recombination was analyzed. The dominant defects identified by confocal PL were dislocations in samples grown on (211)B CdTe substrates and crystallographic twinning-related defects in samples on (100)-oriented InSb substrates. Low-temperature PL shows that twin-related defects have a zero-phonon energy of 1.460 eV and a Huang-Rhys factor of 1.50, while dislocation-dominated samples have a 1.473-eV zero-phonon energy and a Huang-Rhys factor of 1.22. The charge carrier diffusion length near both types of defects is ∼6 μm, suggesting that recombination is limited by diffusion dynamics. For heterostructures with a low concentration of extended defects, the bulk lifetime was determined to be 2.2 μs with an interface recombination velocity of 160 cm/s and an estimated radiative lifetime of 91 μs.

Tungsten-based nanomaterials (WO{sub 3} & Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6}): Modifications related to charge carrier transfer mechanisms and photocatalytic applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Girish Kumar, S., E-mail: girichem@yahoo.co.in; Koteswara Rao, K.S.R., E-mail: raoksrk@gmail.com

2015-11-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Photocatalytic applications of WO{sub 3} and Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} based nanomaterial are reviewed. • Modifications to improve their performance are highlighted. • Charge carrier generation–separation–recombination is discussed. • Challenges and future prospects in this area are addressed. - Abstract: Heterogeneous photocatalysis is an ideal green energy technology for the purification of wastewater. Although titania dominates as the reference photocatalyst, its wide band gap is a bottleneck for extended utility. Thus, search for non-TiO{sub 2} based nanomaterials has become an active area of research in recent years. In this regard, visible light absorbing polycrystalline WO{sub 3} (2.4–2.8 eV) and Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} (2.8 eV) with versatile structure-electronic properties has gained considerable interest to promote the photocatalytic reactions. These materials are also explored in selective functional group transformation in organic reactions, because of low reduction and oxidation potential of WO{sub 3} CB and Bi{sub 2}WO{sub 6} VB, respectively. In this focused review, various strategies such as foreign ion doping, noble metal deposition and heterostructuring with other semiconductors designed for efficient photocatalysis is discussed. These modifications not only extend the optical response to longer wavelengths, but also prolong the life-time of the charge carriers and strengthen the photocatalyst stability. The changes in the surface-bulk properties and the charge carrier transfer dynamics associated with each modification correlating to the high activity are emphasized. The presence of oxidizing agents, surface modification with Cu{sup 2+} ions and synthesis of exposed facets to promote the degradation rate is highlighted. In depth study on these nanomaterials is likely to sustain interest in wastewater remediation and envisaged to signify in various green energy applications.

Photoinduced reversible switching of charge carrier mobility in conjugated polymers

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Weiter, M.; Navrátil, J.; Vala, M.; Toman, Petr

2009-01-01

Roč. 48, č. 1 (2009), 10401_1-10401_6 ISSN 1286-0042 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/06/0285; GA AV ČR KAN401770651 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : polymers * switch * charge carrier mobility Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry Impact factor: 0.756, year: 2009

Ambipolar charge carrier transport in organic semiconductor blends of C{sub 60} and CuPc; Ambipolarer Ladungstransport in organischen Halbleiter-Mischschichten bestehend aus C{sub 60} und CuPc

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bronner, Markus

2008-06-20

their ambipolar pendants. Also the potential distribution inside the channel of the transistors was measured and simulated. It was found that the potential is not only given by the applied drain and gate voltages but also by the charge carriers in the channel. In contrast to all present publications there is no recombination of electrons and holes in the channel. Hence, there are regions in the channel where both electrons and holes are accumulated. (orig.)

Effects of Te inclusions on charge-carrier transport properties in CdZnTe radiation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu, Yaxu; Rong, Caicai; Xu, Yadong; Shen, Hao; Zha, Gangqiang; Wang, Ning; Lv, Haoyan; Li, Xinyi; Wei, Dengke; Jie, Wanqi

2015-01-01

Highlights: • This work reveals the behaviors of Te inclusion in affecting charge-carrier transport properties in CdZnTe detectors for the first time and analysis the mechanism therein. • The results show that charge collection efficiencies in Te inclusion degraded regions experience fast ascent under low biases and slow descent at high applied biases, which deviates from the Hecht rule. • This phenomenon is attributed to the competitive influence of two mechanisms under different biases, namely charge carrier trapping due to uniformly distributed point defects and Te inclusion induced transient charge loss. • A modified Hecht equation is further proposed to explain the effects of high-density localized defects, say Te inclusions, on the charge collection efficiency. • We believe that this research has wide appeal to analyze the macroscopic defects and their influence on charge transport properties in semiconductor radiation detectors. - Abstract: The influence of tellurium (Te) inclusions on the charge collection efficiency in cadmium zinc telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) detectors has been investigated using ion beam induced charge (IBIC) technique. Combining the analysis of infrared transmittance image, most of the low charge collection areas in the IBIC images prove the existence of Te inclusions. To further clarify the role of Te inclusions on charge transport properties, bias dependent local IBIC scan was performed on Te inclusion related regions from 20 V to 500 V. The result shows that charge collection efficiencies in Te inclusion degraded regions experience fast ascent under low biases and slow descent at high applied biases, which deviates from Hecht rule. This behavior is attributed to the competitive influence of two mechanisms under different biases, namely charge carrier trapping due to uniformly distributed point defects and Te inclusion induced transient charge loss. A modified Hecht equation is further proposed to explain the effects of high

Kinetics of photo-activated charge carriers in Sn:CdS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patidar, Manju Mishra, E-mail: manjumishra.iuc@gmail.com; Gorli, V. R.; Gangrade, Mohan; Nath, R.; Ganesan, V. [UGC-DAE CSR, University Campus, Khandwa Road, Indore (M.P.)-452001 (India); Panda, Richa [S.S. Jain Subodh Girls College, Airport Road Sanganer, Jaipur - 302029 (India)

2016-05-23

Kinetics of the photo-activated charge carriers has been investigated in Tin substituted Cadmium Sulphide, Cd{sub 1-x}Sn{sub x}S (x=0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15), thin films prepared by spray pyrolysis. X-Ray Diffraction shows an increase in strain that resulted in the decreased crystallite size upon Sn substitution. At the first sight, the photo current characteristics show a quenching effect on Sn substitution. However, survival of persistent photocurrents is seen even up to 15% of Sn substitution. Transient photo current decay could be explained with a 2τ relaxation model. CdS normally has an n-type character and the Sn doping expected to inject hole carriers. The two fold increase in τ{sub 1}, increase in activation energy and the decrease in photocurrents upon Sn substitution point towards a band gap cleaning scenario that include compensation and associated carrier injection dynamics. In addition Atomic Force Microscopy shows a drastic change in microstructure that modulates the carrier dynamics as a whole.

Influence of injected charge carriers on photocurrents in polymer solar cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wehenkel, D.J.; Koster, L.J.A.; Wienk, M.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.

2012-01-01

We determine and analyze the photocurrent Jph in polymer solar cells under conditions where, no, one, or two different charge carriers can be injected by choosing appropriate electrodes and compare the experimental results to simulations based on a drift-diffusion device model that accounts for

Magnetic susceptibility of free charge carriers in bismuth tellurides (Bi2Te3)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guha Thakurta, S.R.; Dutta, A.K.

1977-01-01

Principal magnetic susceptibilities of both p- and n-type Bi 2 Te 3 crystals have been measured over the range of temperature 90 deg K to 650 deg K. The observed susceptibilities are diamagnetic and temperature dependent. This temperature dependence has been attributed to the contribution of the free charge carriers to the susceptibilities. From the observed susceptibilities the carrier-susceptibilities have been separately obtained which are found to be paramagnetic. From the total carrier-susceptibilities, the susceptibilities of the carriers which are thermally liberated in the intrinsic region have been separated. From an analysis of the carrier-susceptibilities the band gap and its temperature coefficient have been found out and these compare favourably with those obtained from electrical measurements. (author)

Two interesting cases in spatial charge movement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novellino, R.A.

1983-01-01

The relation between current and voltage in a dielectric under radiation is obtained, assuming only one carrier to be mobile, recombination and injection of the mobile charge from the electrode. For this last boundary condition a constant charge density at the electrode-dielectric interface was chosen. The other problem treated is a generalization of the classic transient problem studied by Many-Rakavy, using the constant charge density boundary condition. Analytic solutions were obtained during the first transit time and computed ones for larger times. Some attention was given to the damped current oscilations approaching the steady state value. (Author) [pt

A comparison of different experimental methods for general recombination correction for liquid ionization chambers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersson, Jonas; Kaiser, Franz-Joachim; Gomez, Faustino

2012-01-01

Radiation dosimetry of highly modulated dose distributions requires a detector with a high spatial resolution. Liquid filled ionization chambers (LICs) have the potential to become a valuable tool for the characterization of such radiation fields. However, the effect of an increased recombination...... of the charge carriers, as compared to using air as the sensitive medium has to be corrected for. Due to the presence of initial recombination in LICs, the correction for general recombination losses is more complicated than for air-filled ionization chambers. In the present work, recently published...

Guanidinium: A Route to Enhanced Carrier Lifetime and Open-Circuit Voltage in Hybrid Perovskite Solar Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

De Marco, Nicholas; Zhou, Huanping; Chen, Qi; Sun, Pengyu; Liu, Zonghao; Meng, Lei; Yao, En-Ping; Liu, Yongsheng; Schiffer, Andy; Yang, Yang

2016-02-10

Hybrid perovskites have shown astonishing power conversion efficiencies owed to their remarkable absorber characteristics including long carrier lifetimes, and a relatively substantial defect tolerance for solution-processed polycrystalline films. However, nonradiative charge carrier recombination at grain boundaries limits open circuit voltages and consequent performance improvements of perovskite solar cells. Here we address such recombination pathways and demonstrate a passivation effect through guanidinium-based additives to achieve extraordinarily enhanced carrier lifetimes and higher obtainable open circuit voltages. Time-resolved photoluminescence measurements yield carrier lifetimes in guanidinium-based films an order of magnitude greater than pure-methylammonium counterparts, giving rise to higher device open circuit voltages and power conversion efficiencies exceeding 17%. A reduction in defect activation energy of over 30% calculated via admittance spectroscopy and confocal fluorescence intensity mapping indicates successful passivation of recombination/trap centers at grain boundaries. We speculate that guanidinium ions serve to suppress formation of iodide vacancies and passivate under-coordinated iodine species at grain boundaries and within the bulk through their hydrogen bonding capability. These results present a simple method for suppressing nonradiative carrier loss in hybrid perovskites to further improve performances toward highly efficient solar cells.

Charge Carrier Transport Properties of Vacuum Evaporated Anthrylvinylbenzene Thin Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haikel HRICHI

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The charge carrier conduction processes and dielectric properties of two new materials based on anthracene core structure, 1-(9 anthrylvinyl-4-benzyloxybenzene (AVB and 1,4- bis(9-anthrylvinylbenzene (AV2B diodes have been investigated using dc current density–voltage (J–V and AC impedance spectroscopy (100 Hz–10 MHz. The DC electrical properties of ITO/anthracene derivative /Al device showing an ohmic behavior at low voltages and switches to space charge limited current (SCLC conduction with exponential trap distribution at higher voltages. The best performance device was achieved from ITO/AVB/Al structure showing the high charge carrier mobility which has also been evaluated from SCLC as 6.55´10-6 cm/Vs. According to the impedance spectroscopy results the structures were modeled by equivalent circuit designed as a parallel resistor Rp and capacitor Cp network in series with resistor Rs. The evolution of the electrical parameters with frequency and bias voltage of these anthracene-based systems has been discussed. The conductivity s(w evolution with frequency and bias voltage was studied for ITO/anthracene derivatives/Al devices. The dc conductivity sdc for these devices has been determined. The ac conductivity sac showed a variation in angular frequency as A.ws with a critical exponent s< 1 suggesting a hopping conduction mechanism at high frequency.

Dynamics of photoexcited carrier relaxation and recombination in CdTe/CdS thin films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Levi, D.H.; Fluegel, B.D.; Ahrenkiel, R.K. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)] [and others

1996-05-01

Efficiency-limiting defects in photovoltaic devices are readily probed by time-resolved spectroscopy. This paper presents the first direct optical measurements of the relaxation and recombination pathways of photoexcited carriers in the CdS window layer of CdTe/CdS polycrystalline thin films. Femtosecond time-resolved pump/probe measurements indicate the possible existence of a two-phase CdS/CdSTe layer, rather than a continuously graded alloy layer at the CdTe/CdS interface. Complementary time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) measurements show that the photoexcited carriers are rapidly captured by deep-level defects. The temporal and density-dependent properties of the photoluminescence prove that the large Stokes shift of the PL relative to the band edge is due to strong phonon coupling to deep-level defects in CdS. The authors suggest that modifications in the CdS processing may enhance carrier collection efficiency in the blue spectral region.

Charge-carrier transport in large-area epitaxial graphene

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kisslinger, Ferdinand; Popp, Matthias; Weber, Heiko B. [Lehrstuhl fuer Angewandte Physik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg (FAU), Erlangen (Germany); Jobst, Johannes [Huygens-Kamerlingh Onnes Laboratorium, Leiden Institute of Physics, Leiden University (Netherlands); Shallcross, Sam [Lehrstuhl fuer theoretische Festkoerperphysik, Friedrich-Alexander-Universitaet Erlangen-Nuernberg (FAU), Erlangen (Germany)

2017-11-15

We present an overview of recent charge carrier transport experiments in both monolayer and bilayer graphene, with emphasis on the phenomena that appear in large-area samples. While many aspects of transport are based on quantum mechanical concepts, in the large-area limit classical corrections dominate and shape the magnetoresistance and the tunneling conductance. The discussed phenomena are very general and can, with little modification, be expected in any atomically thin 2D conductor. (copyright 2017 by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

The effect of recombination under short-circuit conditions on the determination of charge transport properties in nanostructured photoelectrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Villanueva-Cab, J; Anta, J A; Oskam, G

2016-01-28

We report on the commonly unaccounted for process of recombination under short-circuit conditions in nanostructured photoelectrodes with special attention to the charge collection efficiency. It is observed that when recombination under short circuit conditions is significant, small perturbation methods overestimate the charge-collection efficiency, which is related to the inaccurate determination of the electron diffusion coefficient and diffusion length.

Free Carrier Generation in Fullerene Acceptors and Its Effect on Polymer Photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Burkhard, George F.; Hoke, Eric T.; Beiley, Zach M.; McGehee, Michael D.

2012-01-01

Early research on C60 led to the discovery that the absorption of photons with energy greater than 2.35 eV by bulk C60 produces free charge carriers at room temperature. We find that not only is this also true for many of the soluble fullerene derivatives commonly used in organic photovoltaics, but also that the presence of these free carriers has significant implications for the modeling, characterization, and performance of devices made with these materials. We demonstrate that the discrepancy between absorption and quantum efficiency spectra in P3HT:PCBM is due to recombination of such free carriers in large PCBM domains before they can be separated at a donor/acceptor interface. Since most theories assume that all free charges result from the separation of excitons at a donor/acceptor interface, the presence of free carrier generation in fullerenes can have a significant impact on the interpretation of data generated by numerous field-dependent techniques. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Free Carrier Generation in Fullerene Acceptors and Its Effect on Polymer Photovoltaics

KAUST Repository

Burkhard, George F.

2012-12-20

Early research on C60 led to the discovery that the absorption of photons with energy greater than 2.35 eV by bulk C60 produces free charge carriers at room temperature. We find that not only is this also true for many of the soluble fullerene derivatives commonly used in organic photovoltaics, but also that the presence of these free carriers has significant implications for the modeling, characterization, and performance of devices made with these materials. We demonstrate that the discrepancy between absorption and quantum efficiency spectra in P3HT:PCBM is due to recombination of such free carriers in large PCBM domains before they can be separated at a donor/acceptor interface. Since most theories assume that all free charges result from the separation of excitons at a donor/acceptor interface, the presence of free carrier generation in fullerenes can have a significant impact on the interpretation of data generated by numerous field-dependent techniques. © 2012 American Chemical Society.

Charge collection efficiency in ionization chambers operating in the recombination and saturation regimes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chabod, Sebastien P.

2009-01-01

We solve the electric charge transport equations in the recombination and saturation regimes using an iterative perturbation method. We then calculate the charge collection efficiencies of ionization chambers. The formulae obtained are presented in the form of series for which we calculate the first coefficients. Our approach allows to account for the spatial as well as the temporal variations of the primary charge density N(r,t) in the calculations. Finally, we apply our method to study different density patterns, N, including the textbook case N=N 0 δ(t) and the charge clusters and columns.

Ab initio theory of charge-carrier conduction in ultrapure organic crystals

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hannewald, K.; Bobbert, P.A.

2004-01-01

We present an ab initio description of charge-carrier mobilities in organic molecular crystals of high purity. Our approach is based on Holstein's original concept of small-polaron bands but generalized with respect to the inclusion of nonlocal electron-phonon coupling. By means of an explicit

Hall mobility of free charge carriers in highly compensated p-Germanium

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gavrilyuk, V.Yi.; Kirnas, Yi.G.; Balakyin, V.D.

2000-01-01

Hall mobility of free charge carriers in initial detectors Ge (Ga) is studied. It is established that an increase in the compensation factor results in the enlargement of Hall mobility in germanium highly compensated by introduction of Li ions during their drift in an electrical field

How High Local Charge Carrier Mobility and an Energy Cascade in a Three-Phase Bulk Heterojunction Enable >90% Quantum Efficiency

KAUST Repository

Burke, Timothy M.

2013-12-27

Charge generation in champion organic solar cells is highly efficient in spite of low bulk charge-carrier mobilities and short geminate-pair lifetimes. In this work, kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are used to understand efficient charge generation in terms of experimentally measured high local charge-carrier mobilities and energy cascades due to molecular mixing. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

How High Local Charge Carrier Mobility and an Energy Cascade in a Three-Phase Bulk Heterojunction Enable >90% Quantum Efficiency

KAUST Repository

Burke, Timothy M.; McGehee, Michael D.

2013-01-01

Charge generation in champion organic solar cells is highly efficient in spite of low bulk charge-carrier mobilities and short geminate-pair lifetimes. In this work, kinetic Monte Carlo simulations are used to understand efficient charge generation in terms of experimentally measured high local charge-carrier mobilities and energy cascades due to molecular mixing. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

An alternative approach to charge transport in semiconducting electrodes

Science.gov (United States)

Thomchick, J.; Buoncristiani, A. M.

1980-01-01

The excess-carrier charge transport through the space-charge region of a semiconducting electrode is analyzed by a technique known as the flux method. In this approach reflection and transmission coefficients appropriate for a sheet of uniform semiconducting material describe its transport properties. A review is presented of the flux method showing that the results for a semiconductor electrode reduce in a limiting case to those previously found by Gaertner if the depletion layer is treated as a perfectly transmitting medium in which scattering and recombination are ignored. Then, in the framework of the flux method the depletion layer is considered more realistically by explicitly taking into account scattering and recombination processes which occur in this region.

Inhomogeneous bimolecular recombination in partially crystallised tri-methylphenyl diamine glasses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldie, D.M.

2013-01-01

The rise and fall dynamics of transient photocurrents induced by exposure to ultraviolet radiation have been analysed for a series of glassy tri-methylphenyl diamine films that have been partially crystallised by ageing under ambient conditions following vapour deposition. An inhomogeneous bimolecular recombination model that uses coupled rate equations is found to provide a consistent fit for the observed photocurrent dynamics provided the recombination rate of holes in the crystallised regions of the films is lower compared to the amorphous regions. Parameters returned by the bimolecular model are investigated as a function of the film age but are observed to be highly sensitive to the initial experimental estimates that are supplied for the effective hole recombination time. The effective hole recombination time generated by the model is found to be relatively independent of film age, however, and has a value of around 0.16 s for a carrier generation rate of 7 × 10 14 cm −3 s −1 . The effective recombination time and steady-state photoconductivity magnitudes are found to be consistent with experimental hole mobility and photo-carrier generation efficiency values that are obtained using complementary time-of-flight and charge collection experiments. - Highlights: ► Transient photocurrents in evaporated diamine films have fast and slow components. ► Transient photocurrents are modelled using inhomogeneous bimolecular recombination. ► Recombination rates differ between crystallised and amorphous film regions. ► Recombination parameters evolve with film age as the films crystallise

Charge transport in organic light-emitting diodes. Experiments and simulations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schober, Matthias

2012-11-01

This thesis is about the development and validation of a numerical model for the simulation of the current-voltage characteristics of organic thin-film devices. The focus is on the analysis of a white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with fluorescent blue and phosphorescent red and green emitters. The simulation model describes the charge transport as a one-dimensional drift-diffusion current and is developed on the basis of the Scharfetter-Gummel method. It incorporates modern theories for the charge transport in disordered organic materials, which are considered by means of special functions for the diffusion coefficient and the charge-carrier mobility. The algorithm is designed such that it can switch between different models for mobility and calculates both transient and steady-state solutions. In the analysis of the OLED, electron and hole transport are investigated separately in series of single-carrier devices. These test devices incorporate parts of the layers in the OLED between symmetrically arranged injection layers that are electrically doped. Thereby, the OLED layer sequence is reconstructed step by step. The analysis of the test devices allows to obtain the numerous parameters which are required for the simulation of the complete OLED and reveals many interesting features of the OLED. For instance, it is shown how the accumulation of charge carriers in front of an interface barrier increases the mobility and the transfer rate across the interface. Furthermore, it is demonstrated how to identify charge-trapping states. This leads to the detection of deep trap states in the emission zone of the OLED -- an interesting aspect, since these states can function as recombination centers and may cause non-radiative losses. Moreover, various other effects such as interface dipoles and a slight freeze-out of active electric dopants in the injection layers are observed. In the simulations of the numerous test devices, the parameters are consistently applied

Charge carrier mobility in thin films of organic semiconductors by the gated van der Pauw method

Science.gov (United States)

Rolin, Cedric; Kang, Enpu; Lee, Jeong-Hwan; Borghs, Gustaaf; Heremans, Paul; Genoe, Jan

2017-01-01

Thin film transistors based on high-mobility organic semiconductors are prone to contact problems that complicate the interpretation of their electrical characteristics and the extraction of important material parameters such as the charge carrier mobility. Here we report on the gated van der Pauw method for the simple and accurate determination of the electrical characteristics of thin semiconducting films, independently from contact effects. We test our method on thin films of seven high-mobility organic semiconductors of both polarities: device fabrication is fully compatible with common transistor process flows and device measurements deliver consistent and precise values for the charge carrier mobility and threshold voltage in the high-charge carrier density regime that is representative of transistor operation. The gated van der Pauw method is broadly applicable to thin films of semiconductors and enables a simple and clean parameter extraction independent from contact effects. PMID:28397852

Charge Transport in LDPE Nanocomposites Part II—Computational Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anh T. Hoang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available A bipolar charge transport model is employed to investigate the remarkable reduction in dc conductivity of low-density polyethylene (LDPE based material filled with uncoated nanofillers (reported in the first part of this work. The effect of temperature on charge transport is considered and the model outcomes are compared with measured conduction currents. The simulations reveal that the contribution of charge carrier recombination to the total transport process becomes more significant at elevated temperatures. Among the effects caused by the presence of nanoparticles, a reduced charge injection at electrodes has been found as the most essential one. Possible mechanisms for charge injection at different temperatures are therefore discussed.

Hopping mobility of charge carriers in polymers in the earliest stages after their generation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tyutnev, A.P.; Subbotin, A.V.; Chekunaev, N.I.

1989-01-01

It has been found that both the photo- and the radiation conductivity of a number of polymers (primarily polyvinylcarbazole, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate) are of a molecular nature, and movement of the generated charge carriers is by a hopping and not by a band mechanism. Analytical expressions for the instantaneous effective mobility and effective displacement of charge carriers in a unitary electric field were obtained in the approximation of isolated pairs of nearest neighbors for four species (monoenergetic, exponential, Gaussian, and bilevel) of energy application of hopping sites randomly distributed in space. Problems of the application of these expressions to real polymers are discussed on the example of polyvinylcarbazole

Electrical control of charged carriers and excitons in atomically thin materials

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Ke; De Greve, Kristiaan; Jauregui, Luis A.; Sushko, Andrey; High, Alexander; Zhou, You; Scuri, Giovanni; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji; Lukin, Mikhail D.; Park, Hongkun; Kim, Philip

2018-02-01

Electrical confinement and manipulation of charge carriers in semiconducting nanostructures are essential for realizing functional quantum electronic devices1-3. The unique band structure4-7 of atomically thin transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offers a new route towards realizing novel 2D quantum electronic devices, such as valleytronic devices and valley-spin qubits8. 2D TMDs also provide a platform for novel quantum optoelectronic devices9-11 due to their large exciton binding energy12,13. However, controlled confinement and manipulation of electronic and excitonic excitations in TMD nanostructures have been technically challenging due to the prevailing disorder in the material, preventing accurate experimental control of local confinement and tunnel couplings14-16. Here we demonstrate a novel method for creating high-quality heterostructures composed of atomically thin materials that allows for efficient electrical control of excitations. Specifically, we demonstrate quantum transport in the gate-defined, quantum-confined region, observing spin-valley locked quantized conductance in quantum point contacts. We also realize gate-controlled Coulomb blockade associated with confinement of electrons and demonstrate electrical control over charged excitons with tunable local confinement potentials and tunnel couplings. Our work provides a basis for novel quantum opto-electronic devices based on manipulation of charged carriers and excitons.

Transient Zitterbewegung of charge carriers in mono- and bilayer graphene, and carbon nanotubes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rusin, Tomasz M.; Zawadzki, Wlodek

2007-01-01

Observable effects due to trembling motion [Zitterbewegung (ZB)] of charge carriers in bilayer graphene, monolayer graphene, and carbon nanotubes are calculated. It is shown that, when the charge carriers are prepared in the form of Gaussian wave packets, the ZB has a transient character with the decay time of femtoseconds in graphene and picoseconds in nanotubes. Analytical results for bilayer graphene allow us to investigate phenomena which accompany the trembling motion. In particular, it is shown that the transient character of ZB in graphene is due to the fact that wave subpackets related to positive and negative electron energies move in opposite directions, so their overlap diminishes with time. This behavior is analogous to that of the wave packets representing relativistic electrons in a vacuum

Mechanism of charge recombination in meso-structured organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells: A macroscopic perspective

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yang, Wenchao; Yao, Yao, E-mail: yaoyao@fudan.edu.cn; Wu, Chang-Qin, E-mail: cqw@fudan.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)

2015-04-21

In the currently popular organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite solar cells, the slowness of the charge recombination processes is found to be a key factor for contributing to their high efficiencies and high open circuit voltages, but the underlying recombination mechanism remains unclear. In this work, we investigate the bimolecular recombination (BR) and the trap-assisted monomolecular recombination (MR) in meso-structured perovskite solar cells under steady state working condition, and try to reveal their roles on determining the device performance. Some interfacial effects such as the injection barriers at the selective contacts are examined as well. Based on the macroscopic device modeling, the recombination resistance-voltage (R{sub rec}−V) and the current density-voltage (J–V) curves are calculated to characterize the recombination mechanism and describe the device performance, respectively. Through comparison with the impedance spectroscopy extracted R{sub rec} data, it is found that under the typical BR reduction factor and deep trap densities observed in experiments, the MR dominates the charge recombination in the low voltage regime, while the BR dominates in the high voltage regime. The short circuit current and the fill factor could be reduced by the significant MR but the open circuit voltage is generally determined by the BR. The different electron injection barriers at the contact can change the BR rate and induce different patterns for the R{sub rec}–V characteristics. For the perovskites of increased band gaps, the R{sub rec}'s are significantly enhanced, corresponding to the high open circuit voltages. Finally, it is revealed that the reduced effective charge mobility due to the transport in electron and hole transporting material makes the R{sub rec} decrease slowly with the increasing voltage, which leads to increased open circuit voltage.

The generation of charge carriers in semi conductors – A theoretical study

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Kiarii, EM

2017-04-01

Full Text Available , vol. 678: 167-176 The generation of charge carriers in semi conductors – A theoretical study Kiarii EM Govender, Krishna K Ndungu PG Govender PG ABSTRACT: A systematic study of electronic and optical properties of titanium dioxide under...

Photogeneration of free charge carriers in .pi.-conjugated polymers with bulky side groups

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Menšík, Miroslav; Jex, M.; Pfleger, Jiří; Jung, J.

2012-01-01

Roč. 404, 24 August (2012), s. 48-55 ISSN 0301-0104 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP205/10/2280; GA MŠk(CZ) OC10007 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Institutional support: RVO:61389013 Keywords : photogeneration of free charge carriers * charge transfer states * localized excitation Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.957, year: 2012

Intercalated vs Nonintercalated Morphologies in Donor-Acceptor Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: PBTTT:Fullerene Charge Generation and Recombination Revisited.

Science.gov (United States)

Collado-Fregoso, Elisa; Hood, Samantha N; Shoaee, Safa; Schroeder, Bob C; McCulloch, Iain; Kassal, Ivan; Neher, Dieter; Durrant, James R

2017-09-07

In this Letter, we study the role of the donor:acceptor interface nanostructure upon charge separation and recombination in organic photovoltaic devices and blend films, using mixtures of PBTTT and two different fullerene derivatives (PC 70 BM and ICTA) as models for intercalated and nonintercalated morphologies, respectively. Thermodynamic simulations show that while the completely intercalated system exhibits a large free-energy barrier for charge separation, this barrier is significantly lower in the nonintercalated system and almost vanishes when energetic disorder is included in the model. Despite these differences, both femtosecond-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) and time-delayed collection field (TDCF) exhibit extensive first-order losses in both systems, suggesting that geminate pairs are the primary product of photoexcitation. In contrast, the system that comprises a combination of fully intercalated polymer:fullerene areas and fullerene-aggregated domains (1:4 PBTTT:PC 70 BM) is the only one that shows slow, second-order recombination of free charges, resulting in devices with an overall higher short-circuit current and fill factor. This study therefore provides a novel consideration of the role of the interfacial nanostructure and the nature of bound charges and their impact upon charge generation and recombination.

Charge transport in disordered organic host-guest systems: effects of carrier density and electric field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yimer, Y.Y.; Bobbert, P.A.; Coehoorn, R.

2008-01-01

We investigate charge transport in disordered organic host–guest systems with a bimodal Gaussian density of states (DOS). The energy difference between the two Gaussians defines the trap depth. By solving the Pauli master equation for the hopping of charge carriers on a regular lattice with site

Surface/Interface Carrier-Transport Modulation for Constructing Photon-Alternative Ultraviolet Detectors Based on Self-Bending-Assembled ZnO Nanowires.

Science.gov (United States)

Guo, Zhen; Zhou, Lianqun; Tang, Yuguo; Li, Lin; Zhang, Zhiqi; Yang, Hongbo; Ma, Hanbin; Nathan, Arokia; Zhao, Dongxu

2017-09-13

Surface/interface charge-carrier generation, diffusion, and recombination/transport modulation are especially important in the construction of photodetectors with high efficiency in the field of nanoscience. In the paper, a kind of ultraviolet (UV) detector is designed based on ZnO nanostructures considering photon-trapping, surface plasmonic resonance (SPR), piezophototronic effects, interface carrier-trapping/transport control, and collection. Through carefully optimized surface/interface carrier-transport modulation, a designed device with detectivity as high as 1.69 × 10 16 /1.71 × 10 16 cm·Hz 1/2 /W irradiating with 380 nm photons under ultralow bias of 0.2 V is realized by alternating nanoparticle/nanowire active layers, respectively, and the designed UV photodetectors show fast and slow recovery processes of 0.27 and 4.52 ms, respectively, which well-satisfy practical needs. Further, it is observed that UV photodetection could be performed within an alternative response by varying correlated key parameters, through efficient surface/interface carrier-transport modulation, spectrally resolved photoresponse of the detector revealing controlled detection in the UV region based on the ZnO nanomaterial, photodetection allowed or limited by varying the active layers, irradiation distance from one of the electrodes, standing states, or electric field. The detailed carrier generation, diffusion, and recombination/transport processes are well illustrated to explain charge-carrier dynamics contributing to the photoresponse behavior.

Effect of trap states and microstructure on charge carrier conduction mechanism through semicrystalline poly(vinyl alcohol) granular film

Science.gov (United States)

Das, A. K.; Bhowmik, R. N.; Meikap, A. K.

2018-05-01

We report a comprehensive study on hysteresis behaviour of current-voltage characteristic and impedance spectroscopy of granular semicrystalline poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) film. The charge carrier conduction mechanism and charge traps of granular PVA film by measuring and analyzing the temperature dependent current-voltage characteristic indicate a bi-stable electronic state in the film. A sharp transformation of charge carrier conduction mechanism from Poole-Frenkel emission to space charge limited current mechanism has been observed. An anomalous oscillatory behaviour of current has been observed due to electric pulse effect on the molecular chain of the polymer. Effect of microstructure on charge transport mechanism has been investigated from impedance spectroscopy analysis. An equivalent circuit model has been proposed to explain the result.

Charge transport in disordered organic host-guest systems: effects of carrier density and electric field

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yimer, Y.Y.; Bobbert, P.A.; Coehoorn, R.

2009-01-01

We investigate charge transport in disordered organic host–guest systems with a bimodal Gaussian density of states. The energy difference between the peaks of the two Gaussians defines the trap depth. By solving the Pauli master equation for the hopping of charge carriers on a regular lattice we

Triphenylene columnar liquid crystals: spectroscopic study of triplets states and charge carriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondkowski, Jens

2000-01-01

This research thesis reports the study of three oxygenated derivatives of triphenylene (two monomers, a symmetric one and an asymmetric one, and a tetramer) by using different experimental techniques: absorption spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy in stationary regime, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy (also said single photon counting). Moreover, the author adapted an existing experiment of transient absorption spectroscopy time-resolved at the microsecond level to obtain spectra of thin layers under electric field. A cyclic voltammetry experiment and a spectro-electrochemistry experiment have also been performed. The report first presents the studied materials, the characterisation of singlet states, and the study of the effect molecular symmetry decreasing have on molecular transitions. Then, the author reports the study of cationic species of the triphenylene derivatives. The next chapters address the characterisation of derivative triplet states, and the study of energy transfer within the meso phase of one of these derivatives. The last chapters address charge carriers of columnar liquid crystals, and the molecular nature of these charge carriers

Spectroscopy of Charge Carriers and Traps in Field-Doped Single Crystal Organic Semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Xiaoyang [Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States); Frisbie, Daniel [Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States)

2017-03-31

The proposed research aims to achieve quantitative, molecular level understanding of charge carriers and traps in field-doped crystalline organic semiconductors via in situ linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopy, in conjunction with transport measurements and molecular/crystal engineering.

Engineering charge transport by heterostructuring solution-processed semiconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Voznyy, Oleksandr; Sutherland, Brandon R.; Ip, Alexander H.; Zhitomirsky, David; Sargent, Edward H.

2017-06-01

Solution-processed semiconductor devices are increasingly exploiting heterostructuring — an approach in which two or more materials with different energy landscapes are integrated into a composite system. Heterostructured materials offer an additional degree of freedom to control charge transport and recombination for more efficient optoelectronic devices. By exploiting energetic asymmetry, rationally engineered heterostructured materials can overcome weaknesses, augment strengths and introduce emergent physical phenomena that are otherwise inaccessible to single-material systems. These systems see benefit and application in two distinct branches of charge-carrier manipulation. First, they influence the balance between excitons and free charges to enhance electron extraction in solar cells and photodetectors. Second, they promote radiative recombination by spatially confining electrons and holes, which increases the quantum efficiency of light-emitting diodes. In this Review, we discuss advances in the design and composition of heterostructured materials, consider their implementation in semiconductor devices and examine unexplored paths for future advancement in the field.

Quantitative description of charge-carrier transport in a white organic light-emitting diode

Science.gov (United States)

Schober, M.; Anderson, M.; Thomschke, M.; Widmer, J.; Furno, M.; Scholz, R.; Lüssem, B.; Leo, K.

2011-10-01

We present a simulation model for the analysis of charge-carrier transport in organic thin-film devices, and apply it to a three-color white hybrid organic light-emitting diode (OLED) with fluorescent blue and phosphorescent red and green emission. We simulate a series of single-carrier devices, which reconstruct the OLED layer sequence step by step. Thereby, we determine the energy profiles for hole and electron transport, show how to discern bulk from interface limitation, and identify trap states.

Measuring Charge Carrier Diffusion in Coupled Colloidal Quantum Dot Solids

KAUST Repository

Zhitomirsky, David

2013-06-25

Colloidal quantum dots (CQDs) are attractive materials for inexpensive, room-temperature-, and solution-processed optoelectronic devices. A high carrier diffusion length is desirable for many CQD device applications. In this work we develop two new experimental methods to investigate charge carrier diffusion in coupled CQD solids under charge-neutral, i.e., undepleted, conditions. The methods take advantage of the quantum-size-effect tunability of our materials, utilizing a smaller-bandgap population of quantum dots as a reporter system. We develop analytical models of diffusion in 1D and 3D structures that allow direct extraction of diffusion length from convenient parametric plots and purely optical measurements. We measure several CQD solids fabricated using a number of distinct methods and having significantly different doping and surface ligand treatments. We find that CQD materials recently reported to achieve a certified power conversion efficiency of 7% with hybrid organic-inorganic passivation have a diffusion length of 80 ± 10 nm. The model further allows us to extract the lifetime, trap density, mobility, and diffusion coefficient independently in each material system. This work will facilitate further progress in extending the diffusion length, ultimately leading to high-quality CQD solid semiconducting materials and improved CQD optoelectronic devices, including CQD solar cells. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Explanation of low efficiency droop in semipolar $(20\\bar 2\\bar 1)$ InGaN/GaN LEDs through evaluation of carrier recombination coefficients

OpenAIRE

Monavarian, Morteza; Rashidi, Arman; Aragon, Andrew A.; Oh, Sang H.; Nami, Mohsen; DenBaars, Steve P.; Feezell, Daniel F.

2017-01-01

We report the carrier dynamics and recombination coefficients in single-quantum-well semipolar $(20\\bar 2\\bar 1)$ InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes emitting at 440 nm with 93% peak internal quantum efficiency. The differential carrier lifetime is analyzed for various injection current densities from 5 $A/cm^2$ to 10 $kA/cm^2$, and the corresponding carrier densities are obtained. The coupling of internal quantum efficiency and differential carrier lifetime vs injected carrier density ($n$) enab...

Grain Boundaries Act as Solid Walls for Charge Carrier Diffusion in Large Crystal MAPI Thin Films.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciesielski, Richard; Schäfer, Frank; Hartmann, Nicolai F; Giesbrecht, Nadja; Bein, Thomas; Docampo, Pablo; Hartschuh, Achim

2018-03-07

Micro- and nanocrystalline methylammonium lead iodide (MAPI)-based thin-film solar cells today reach power conversion efficiencies of over 20%. We investigate the impact of grain boundaries on charge carrier transport in large crystal MAPI thin films using time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) microscopy and numerical model calculations. Crystal sizes in the range of several tens of micrometers allow for the spatially and time resolved study of boundary effects. Whereas long-ranged diffusive charge carrier transport is observed within single crystals, no detectable diffusive transport occurs across grain boundaries. The observed PL transients are found to crucially depend on the microscopic geometry of the crystal and the point of observation. In particular, spatially restricted diffusion of charge carriers leads to slower PL decay near crystal edges as compared to the crystal center. In contrast to many reports in the literature, our experimental results show no quenching or additional loss channels due to grain boundaries for the studied material, which thus do not negatively affect the performance of the derived thin-film devices.

Thermal generation and mobility of charge carriers in collective proton transport in hydrogen-bonded chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peyrard, M.; Boesch, R.; Kourakis, I.

1991-01-01

The transport of protons in hydrogen-bonded systems is a long standing problem which has not yet obtained a satisfactorily theoretical description. Although this problem was examined first for ice, it is relevant in many systems and in particular in biology for the transport along proteins or for proton conductance across membranes, an essential process in cell life. The broad relevance makes the study of proton conduction very appealing. Since the original work of Bernal and Fowler on ice, the idea that the transport occurs through chains of hydrogen bonds has been well accepted. Such ''proton wires'' were invoked by Nagle and Morowitz for proton transport across membranes proteins and more recently across lipid bilayers. In this report, we assume the existence of such an hydrogen-bonded chain and discuss its consequences on the dynamics of the charge carriers. We show that this assumption leads naturally to the idea of soliton transport and we put a special emphasis on the role of the coupling between the protons and heavy ions motions. The model is presented. We show how the coupling affects strongly the dynamics of the charge carriers and we discuss the role it plays in the thermal generation of carriers. The work presented has been performed in 1986 and 87 with St. Pnevmatikos and N. Flyzanis and was then completed in collaboration with D. Hochstrasser and H. Buettner. Therefore the results presented in this part are not new but we think that they are appropriate in the context of this multidisciplinary workshop because they provide a rather complete example of the soliton picture for proton conduction. This paper discusses the thermal generation of the charge carriers when the coupling between the protons and heavy ions dynamics is taken into account. The results presented in this part are very recent and will deserve further analysis but they already show that the coupling can assist for the formation of the charge carriers

Three-dimensional minority carrier lifetime mapping of thin film semiconductors for solar cell applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hardin, Brian [PLANT PV, Inc., Belmont, CA (United States); Peters, Craig [PLANT PV, Inc., Belmont, CA (United States); Barnard, Edward [PLANT PV, Inc., Belmont, CA (United States)

2015-09-30

This project addresses the difficulty of accurately measuring charge carrier dynamics in novel semiconductor materials for thin film photovoltaic cells. We have developed a two- photon lifetime tomography technique to separate bulk minority carrier lifetime from surface recombination effects and effects of recombination at sub-surface defects. This technique also enables us to characterize how local defects such as grain boundaries– buried below the surface of a sample–affect carrier lifetimes in the active layer, dynamics that have been previously inaccessible. We have applied this newly developed technique to illuminate how CdCl₂ treatment improves CdTe PV efficiency. From striking 3D lifetime tomography maps, a clear, sub- surface understanding emerges of the photophysical changes that occur in CdTe active medium following exposure to CdCl₂, a standard step in the fabrication of high-efficiency CdTe-based solar cells. This work demonstrates a well-defined method to quantify grain-boundary, interface, and bulk recombination in CdTe and other optically-active polycrystalline semiconductor materials; information that can provide critical information to the development of next- generation photovoltaics and many other semiconductor technologies.

Carrier Transport, Recombination, and the Effects of Grain Boundaries in Polycrystalline Cadmium Telluride Thin Films for Photovoltaics

Science.gov (United States)

Tuteja, Mohit

Cadmium Telluride (CdTe), a chalcogenide semiconductor, is currently used as the absorber layer in one of the highest efficiency thin film solar cell technologies. Current efficiency records are over 22%. In 2011, CdTe solar cells accounted for 8% of all solar cells installed. This is because, in part, CdTe has a low degradation rate, high optical absorption coefficient, and high tolerance to intrinsic defects. Solar cells based on polycrystalline CdTe exhibit a higher short-circuit current, fill factor, and power conversion efficiency than their single crystal counterparts. This is despite the fact that polycrystalline CdTe devices exhibit lower open-circuit voltages. This is contrary to the observation for silicon and III-V semiconductors, where material defects cause a dramatic drop in device performance. For example, grain boundaries in covalently-bonded semiconductors (a) act as carrier recombination centers, and (b) lead to localized energy states, causing carrier trapping. Despite significant research to date, the mechanism responsible for the superior current collection properties of polycrystalline CdTe solar cells has not been conclusively answered. This dissertation focuses on the macro-scale electronic band structure, and micro scale electronic properties of grains and grain boundaries in device-grade CdTe thin films to answer this open question. My research utilized a variety of experimental techniques. Samples were obtained from leading groups fabricating the material and devices. A CdCl 2 anneal is commonly performed as part of this fabrication and its effects were also investigated. Photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy was employed to study the band structure and defect states in CdTe polycrystals. Cadmium vacancy- and chlorine-related states lead to carrier recombination, as in CdTe films grown by other methods. Comparing polycrystalline and single crystal CdTe, showed that the key to explaining the improved performance of polycrystalline CdTe does

Dynamics of charge carrier trapping in NO 2 sensors based on ZnO field-effect transistors

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Andringa, A.-M.; Vlietstra, N.; Smits, E.C.P.; Spijkman, M.-J.; Gomes, H.L.; Klootwijk, J.H.; Blom, P.W.M.; Leeuw, D.M. de

2012-01-01

Nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) detection with ZnO field-effect transistors is based on charge carrier trapping. Here we investigate the dynamics of charge trapping and recovery as a function of temperature by monitoring the threshold voltage shift. The threshold voltage shifts follow a

Intercalated vs Non-Intercalated Morphologies in Donor-Acceptor Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: PBTTT:Fullerene Charge Generation and Recombination Revisited

KAUST Repository

Collado Fregoso, Elisa; Hood, Samantha N.; Shoaee, Safa; Schroeder, Bob C.; McCulloch, Iain; Kassal, Ivan; Neher, Dieter; Durrant, James R.

2017-01-01

In this contribution, we study the role of the donor:acceptor interface nanostructure upon charge separation and recombination in organic photovoltaic devices and blend films, using mixtures of PBTTT and two different fullerene derivatives (PC70BM and ICTA) as models for intercalated and non-intercalated morphologies, respectively. Thermodynamic simulations show that while the completely intercalated system exhibits a large free-energy barrier for charge separation, this barrier is significantly lower in the non-intercalated system, and almost vanishes when energetic disorder is included in the model. Despite these differences, both fs-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) and TDCF exhibit extensive first-order losses in that system, suggesting that geminate pairs are the primary product of photoexcitation. In contrast, the system that comprises a combination of fully intercalated polymer:fullerene areas and fullerene aggregated domains (1:4 PBTTT:PC70BM), is the only one that shows slow, second-order recombination of free charges, resulting in devices with an overall higher short circuit current and fill factor. This study therefore provides a novel consideration of the role of the interfacial nanostructure and the nature of bound charges, and their impact upon charge generation and recombination.

Intercalated vs Non-Intercalated Morphologies in Donor-Acceptor Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells: PBTTT:Fullerene Charge Generation and Recombination Revisited

KAUST Repository

Collado Fregoso, Elisa

2017-08-04

In this contribution, we study the role of the donor:acceptor interface nanostructure upon charge separation and recombination in organic photovoltaic devices and blend films, using mixtures of PBTTT and two different fullerene derivatives (PC70BM and ICTA) as models for intercalated and non-intercalated morphologies, respectively. Thermodynamic simulations show that while the completely intercalated system exhibits a large free-energy barrier for charge separation, this barrier is significantly lower in the non-intercalated system, and almost vanishes when energetic disorder is included in the model. Despite these differences, both fs-resolved transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) and TDCF exhibit extensive first-order losses in that system, suggesting that geminate pairs are the primary product of photoexcitation. In contrast, the system that comprises a combination of fully intercalated polymer:fullerene areas and fullerene aggregated domains (1:4 PBTTT:PC70BM), is the only one that shows slow, second-order recombination of free charges, resulting in devices with an overall higher short circuit current and fill factor. This study therefore provides a novel consideration of the role of the interfacial nanostructure and the nature of bound charges, and their impact upon charge generation and recombination.

Quantum electrodynamic theory of recombination of an electron with a highly charged ion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shabaev, V.M.

1994-01-01

The consequent quantum electrodynamic theory of the process of the recombination of an electron with a multicharged ion is considered. The reduction technique for the calculation of this process by perturbation theory is formulated. The process of the recombination of an electron with a very highly charged one-electron ion for the case of resonance with the doubly excited (2s,2s) 0 , (2p 1/2 ,2p 1/2 ) 0 , (2s,2p 1/2 ) 0,1 states is studied. The formulas for the cross section of the process are derived for two possible versions of the experiment. The interference between the radiative-recombination process and the dielectronic-recombination (DR) process, and the interference between the DR amplitudes for the levels with the identical quantum numbers [(2s,2s) 0 , (2p 1/2 ) 0 ] are taken into account. The deviation of the shape of the resonances from the Lorentz one, due to the interference terms, is discussed

Towards high charge carrier mobilities by rational design of organic semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andrienko, Denis; Ruehle, Victor; Baumeier, Bjoern; Vehoff, Thorsten; Lukyanov, Alexander; Kremer, Kurt [Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz (Germany); Marcon, Valentina [Technische Universitaet Darmstadt (Germany); Kirkpatrick, James; Nelson, Jenny [Imperial College London (United Kingdom); Lennartz, Christian [BASF AG, Ludwigshafen (Germany)

2010-07-01

The role of material morphology on charge carrier mobility in partially disordered organic semiconductors is discussed for several classes of materials: derivatives of hexabenzocoronenens, perylenediimides, triangularly-shaped polyaromatic hydrocarbons, and Alq{sub 3}. Simulations are performed using a package developed by Imperial College, London and Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz (votca.org). This package combines several techniques into one scheme: quantum chemical methods for the calculation of molecular electronic structures and reorganization energies; molecular dynamics and systematic coarse-graining approaches for simulation of self-assembly and relative positions and orientations of molecules on large scales; kinetic Monte Carlo and master equation for studies of charge transport.

Semiconducting lithium indium diselenide: Charge-carrier properties and the impacts of high flux thermal neutron irradiation

Science.gov (United States)

Hamm, Daniel S.; Rust, Mikah; Herrera, Elan H.; Matei, Liviu; Buliga, Vladimir; Groza, Michael; Burger, Arnold; Stowe, Ashley; Preston, Jeff; Lukosi, Eric D.

2018-06-01

This paper reports on the charge carrier properties of several lithium indium diselenide (LISe) semiconductors. It was found that the charge collection efficiency of LISe was improved after high flux thermal neutron irradiation including the presence of a typically unobservable alpha peak from hole-only collection. Charge carrier trap energies of the irradiated sample were measured using photo-induced current transient spectroscopy. Compared to previous studies of this material, no significant differences in trap energies were observed. Through trap-filled limited voltage measurements, neutron irradiation was found to increase the density of trap states within the bulk of the semiconductor, which created a polarization effect under alpha exposure but not neutron exposure. Further, the charge collection efficiency of the irradiated sample was higher (14-15 fC) than that of alpha particles (3-5 fC), indicating that an increase in hole signal contribution resulted from the neutron irradiation. Finally, it was observed that significant charge loss takes place near the point of generation, producing a significant scintillation response and artificially inflating the W-value of all semiconducting LISe crystals.

Charge Carrier Transport Mechanism Based on Stable Low Voltage Organic Bistable Memory Device.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramana, V V; Moodley, M K; Kumar, A B V Kiran; Kannan, V

2015-05-01

A solution processed two terminal organic bistable memory device was fabricated utilizing films of polymethyl methacrylate PMMA/ZnO/PMMA on top of ITO coated glass. Electrical characterization of the device structure showed that the two terminal device exhibited favorable switching characteristics with an ON/OFF ratio greater than 1 x 10(4) when the voltage was swept between - 2 V and +3 V. The device maintained its state after removal of the bias voltage. The device did not show degradation after a 1-h retention test at 120 degrees C. The memory functionality was consistent even after fifty cycles of operation. The charge transport switching mechanism is discussed on the basis of carrier transport mechanism and our analysis of the data shows that the charge carrier trans- port mechanism of the device during the writing process can be explained by thermionic emission (TE) and space-charge-limited-current (SCLC) mechanism models while erasing process could be explained by the FN tunneling mechanism. This demonstration provides a class of memory devices with the potential for low-cost, low-power consumption applications, such as a digital memory cell.

Temperature dependence of photoluminescence spectra of bilayer two-dimensional electron gases in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 superlattices: coexistence of Auger recombination and single-carrier trapping

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. J. Harsan Ma

2015-06-01

Full Text Available We report emerging photoluminescence (PL of bilayer two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG in LaAlO3/SrTiO3 (LAO/STO systems. A strong blue PL emerges in bilayer-2DEGs in LAO/STO/LAO/STO which doesn’t show in LAO/STO. PL band in bilayer-2DEGs includes both nearly temperature independent Auger recombination and temperature dependent free electron trapping while it crossovers from Auger recombination to single carrier trapping in LAO/STO. The PL signal of free electron trapping appears at high temperatures and it is much stronger than Auger recombination in the conducting channel in bilayer 2DEGs. This observation shows that high mobility carriers dominate the carrier dynamics in bilayer-2DEGs in LAO/STO superlattices.

Effects of electric field and charge distribution on nanoelectronic processes involving conducting polymers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramos, Marta M.D.; Correia, Helena M.G.

2006-01-01

The injection of charge carriers in conducting polymer layers gives rise to local electric fields which should have serious implications on the charge transport through the polymer layer. The charge distribution and the related electric field inside the ensemble of polymer molecules, with different molecular arrangements at nanoscale, determine whether or not intra-molecular charge transport takes place and the preferential direction for charge hopping between neighbouring molecules. Consequently, these factors play a significant role in the competition between current flow, charge trapping and recombination in polymer-based electronic devices. By suitable Monte Carlo calculations, we simulated the continuous injection of electrons and holes into polymer layers with different microstructures and followed their transport through those polymer networks. Results of these simulations provided a detailed picture of charge and electric field distribution in the polymer layer and allowed us to assess the consequences for current transport and recombination efficiency as well as the distribution of recombination events within the polymer film. In the steady state we found an accumulation of electrons and holes near the collecting electrodes giving rise to an internal electric field which is greater than the external applied field close to the electrodes and lower than the one in the central region of the polymer layer. We also found that a strong variation of electric field inside the polymer layer leads to an increase of recombination events in regions inside the polymer layer where the values of the internal electric field are lower

Charge separation in contact systems with CdSe quantum dot layers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zillner, Elisabeth Franziska

2013-03-06

Quantum dot (QD) solar cells are a fast developing area in the field of solution processed photovoltaics. Central aspects for the application of QDs in solar cells are separation and transport of charge carriers in the QD layers and the formation of charge selective contacts. Even though efficiencies of up to 7% were reached in QD solar cells, these processes are not yet fully understood. In this thesis the mechanisms of charge separation, transport and recombination in CdSe QD layers and layer systems were studied. Charge separation was measured via surface photovoltage (SPV) at CdSe QD layers with thicknesses in the range of monolayers. To determine the influence of interparticle distance of QDs and trap states on the surface of QDs on charge separation, QDs with four different surfactant layers were studied. Layers of CdSe QDs were prepared on ITO, Si, SiO{sub 2} and CdS by dip coating under inert atmosphere. The layers were characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, UV-vis spectroscopy, step profilometry and scanning electron microscopy to determine the areal density, the absorption and thickness of CdSe QD monolayers. SPV measurements show that initial charge separation from the CdSe QDs on ITO only happened from the fi rst monolayer of QDs. Electrons, photo-excited in the fi rst monolayer of CdSe QDs, were trapped on the ITO surface. The remaining free holes were trapped in surface states and/or diffused into the neighboring QD layers. The thick surfactant layer ({approx} 1.6 nm) of pristine QDs had to be reduced by washing and/or ligand exchange for separation of photo-excited charge carriers. Both, interparticle distance and trap density, influenced the processes of charge separation and recombination. SPV transients of CdSe monolayers could be described by a single QD approximation model, based on Miller-Abrahams hopping of holes between the delocalized excitonic state, traps on the surface of the QD and the filled trap on the ITO surface

Charge separation in contact systems with CdSe quantum dot layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zillner, Elisabeth Franziska

2013-01-01

Quantum dot (QD) solar cells are a fast developing area in the field of solution processed photovoltaics. Central aspects for the application of QDs in solar cells are separation and transport of charge carriers in the QD layers and the formation of charge selective contacts. Even though efficiencies of up to 7% were reached in QD solar cells, these processes are not yet fully understood. In this thesis the mechanisms of charge separation, transport and recombination in CdSe QD layers and layer systems were studied. Charge separation was measured via surface photovoltage (SPV) at CdSe QD layers with thicknesses in the range of monolayers. To determine the influence of interparticle distance of QDs and trap states on the surface of QDs on charge separation, QDs with four different surfactant layers were studied. Layers of CdSe QDs were prepared on ITO, Si, SiO 2 and CdS by dip coating under inert atmosphere. The layers were characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, UV-vis spectroscopy, step profilometry and scanning electron microscopy to determine the areal density, the absorption and thickness of CdSe QD monolayers. SPV measurements show that initial charge separation from the CdSe QDs on ITO only happened from the fi rst monolayer of QDs. Electrons, photo-excited in the fi rst monolayer of CdSe QDs, were trapped on the ITO surface. The remaining free holes were trapped in surface states and/or diffused into the neighboring QD layers. The thick surfactant layer (∼ 1.6 nm) of pristine QDs had to be reduced by washing and/or ligand exchange for separation of photo-excited charge carriers. Both, interparticle distance and trap density, influenced the processes of charge separation and recombination. SPV transients of CdSe monolayers could be described by a single QD approximation model, based on Miller-Abrahams hopping of holes between the delocalized excitonic state, traps on the surface of the QD and the filled trap on the ITO surface

Effects of collisions on level populations and dielectronic recombination rates of multiply charged ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, V.L.; Davis, J.

1978-01-01

A generalization of previously reported statistical theories is developed for determining the excited-level populations and the ionization-recombination balance of multiply charged atomic ions in an optically thin high-temperature plasma. Account is taken of the most important collisional and radiative processes involving bound and autoionizing levels in three consecutive ionization stages. We obtain a set of rate equations for the population densities of the low-lying levels which contains effective excitation, ionization, and recombination rates describing indirect transitions through the more highly excited bound and autoionizing levels. The familiar corona-model equations for the ground-state populations are recovered by making the assumption that all excited states decay by only spontaneous radiative or autoionization processes. When collisional processes become efficient in depopulating the highly excited levels important in dielectronic recombination, the effective rate of recombination must be described by a collisional-dielectronic recombination coefficient. Results of calculations are presented for the collisional-dielectronic recombination rate coefficients for recombination of Fe +8 --Fe +13 ions. At an electron density of 10 16 cm -3 , dielectronic recombination is still the dominant recombination process. However, the collisional-dielectronic recombination rate coefficients are found to be reduced by about an order of magnitude from their corona-model values due to the effects of multiple-collisional excitations on the populations of the highly excited bound levels of the recombined ion. The dielectronic recombination rates into these highly excited levels are found to be enhanced by the effects of collisionally induced angular momentum redistribution on the populations of the autoionizing levels

Charge carrier transport and collection enhancement of copper indium diselenide photoactive nanoparticle-ink by laser crystallization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nian, Qiong; Cheng, Gary J., E-mail: gjcheng@purdue.edu [Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 (United States); School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 (United States); Zhang, Martin Y. [School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 (United States); Wang, Yuefeng [Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 (United States); School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 (United States); Das, Suprem R.; Bhat, Venkataprasad S. [Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 (United States); Huang, Fuqiang [Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Science, Shanghai 200050 (China)

2014-09-15

There has been increasing needs for cost-effective and high performance thin film deposition techniques for photovoltaics. Among all deposition techniques, roll-to-roll printing of nanomaterials has been a promising method. However, the printed thin film contains many internal imperfections, which reduce the charge-collection performance. Here, direct pulse laser crystallization (DPLC) of photoactive nanoparticles-inks is studied to meet this challenge. In this study, copper indium selenite (CIS) nanoparticle-inks is applied as an example. Enhanced crystallinity, densified structure in the thin film is resulted after DLPC under optimal conditions. It is found that the decreased film internal imperfections after DPLC results in reducing scattering and multi-trapping effects. Both of them contribute to better charge-collection performance of CIS absorber material by increasing extended state mobility and carrier lifetime, when carrier transport and kinetics are coupled. Charge carrier transport was characterized after DPLC, showing mobility increased by 2 orders of magnitude. Photocurrent under AM1.5 illumination was measured and shown 10 times enhancement of integrated power density after DPLC, which may lead to higher efficiency in photo-electric energy conversion.

Recombination in liquid-filled ionization chambers beyond the Boag limit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brualla-González, L.; Roselló, J.; Aguiar, P.; González-Castaño, D. M.; Gómez, F.; Pombar, M.; Pardo-Montero, J.

2016-01-01

Purpose: The high mass density and low mobilities of charge carriers can cause important recombination in liquid-filled ionization chambers (LICs). Saturation correction methods have been proposed for LICs. Correction methods for pulsed irradiation are based on Boag equation. However, Boag equation assumes that the charge ionized by one pulse is fully collected before the arrival of the next pulse. This condition does not hold in many clinical beams where the pulse repetition period may be shorter than the charge collection time, causing overlapping between charge carriers ionized by different pulses, and Boag equation is not applicable there. In this work, the authors present an experimental and numerical characterization of collection efficiencies in LICs beyond the Boag limit, with overlapping between charge carriers ionized by different pulses. Methods: The authors have studied recombination in a LIC array for different dose-per-pulse, pulse repetition frequency, and polarization voltage values. Measurements were performed in a Truebeam Linac using FF and FFF modalities. Dose-per-pulse and pulse repetition frequency have been obtained by monitoring the target current with an oscilloscope. Experimental collection efficiencies have been obtained by using a combination of the two-dose-rate method and ratios to the readout of a reference chamber (CC13, IBA). The authors have also used numerical simulation to complement the experimental data. Results: The authors have found that overlap significantly increases recombination in LICs, as expected. However, the functional dependence of collection efficiencies on the dose-per-pulse does not change (a linear dependence has been observed in the near-saturation region for different degrees of overlapping, the same dependence observed in the nonoverlapping scenario). On the other hand, the dependence of collection efficiencies on the polarization voltage changes in the overlapping scenario and does not follow that of Boag

Charge carrier density in Li-intercalated graphene

KAUST Repository

Kaloni, Thaneshwor P.

2012-05-01

The electronic structures of bulk C 6Li, Li-intercalated free-standing bilayer graphene, and Li-intercalated bilayer and trilayer graphene on SiC(0 0 0 1) are studied using density functional theory. Our estimate of Young\\'s modulus suggests that Li-intercalation increases the intrinsic stiffness. For decreasing Li-C interaction, the Dirac point shifts to the Fermi level and the associated band splitting vanishes. For Li-intercalated bilayer graphene on SiC(0 0 0 1) the splitting at the Dirac point is tiny. It is also very small at the two Dirac points of Li-intercalated trilayer graphene on SiC(0 0 0 1). For all the systems under study, a large enhancement of the charge carrier density is achieved by Li intercalation. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Intrinsic Charge Carrier Mobility in Single-Layer Black Phosphorus.

Science.gov (United States)

Rudenko, A N; Brener, S; Katsnelson, M I

2016-06-17

We present a theory for single- and two-phonon charge carrier scattering in anisotropic two-dimensional semiconductors applied to single-layer black phosphorus (BP). We show that in contrast to graphene, where two-phonon processes due to the scattering by flexural phonons dominate at any practically relevant temperatures and are independent of the carrier concentration n, two-phonon scattering in BP is less important and can be considered negligible at n≳10^{13}  cm^{-2}. At smaller n, however, phonons enter in the essentially anharmonic regime. Compared to the hole mobility, which does not exhibit strong anisotropy between the principal directions of BP (μ_{xx}/μ_{yy}∼1.4 at n=10^{13} cm^{-2} and T=300  K), the electron mobility is found to be significantly more anisotropic (μ_{xx}/μ_{yy}∼6.2). Absolute values of μ_{xx} do not exceed 250 (700)  cm^{2} V^{-1} s^{-1} for holes (electrons), which can be considered as an upper limit for the mobility in BP at room temperature.

Toroidal charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on EAST

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ye, Minyou, E-mail: yemy@ustc.edu.cn [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Li, Yingying [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Yu, Yi [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Shi, Yuejiang [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); WCI for Fusion Theory, National Fusion Research Institute, 52 Eoeun-Dong, Yusung-Gu, Daejeon 305-333 (Korea, Republic of); Lyu, Bo; Fu, Jia [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); Du, Xuewei; Yin, Xianghui; Zhang, Yi; Wang, Qiuping [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China); Wan, Baonian [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui 230031 (China); School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (China)

2015-10-15

A toroidal charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) diagnostic, on the basis of a heating neutral beam injector (NBI), is constructed on EAST tokamak. Simulation of Spectra (SOS) code is used to design and evaluate the diagnostic performance. 30 spatial channels work simultaneously in recent experiment, which covers a radial region from 1.55 m to 2.30 m in the cross section. The CXRS has a radial resolution of 1–3.5 cm from core to edge. The acquisition time is typically 10 ms, limited by the poor photon statistics. The diagnostic can observe not only the normal C{sup 5+} emission line at 529.1 nm but also any interested wavelength in the range of 400–700 nm. In this work, a brief overview on the R&D and the instrument performance for the toroidal CXRS diagnostic is described, together with first results.

Impact of Tortuosity on Charge-Carrier Transport in Organic Bulk Heterojunction Blends

Science.gov (United States)

Heiber, Michael C.; Kister, Klaus; Baumann, Andreas; Dyakonov, Vladimir; Deibel, Carsten; Nguyen, Thuc-Quyen

2017-11-01

The impact of the tortuosity of the charge-transport pathways through a bulk heterojunction film on the charge-carrier mobility is theoretically investigated using model morphologies and kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. The tortuosity descriptor provides a quantitative metric to characterize the quality of the charge-transport pathways, and model morphologies with controlled domain size and tortuosity are created using an anisotropic domain growth procedure. The tortuosity is found to be dependent on the anisotropy of the domain structure and is highly tunable. Time-of-flight charge-transport simulations on morphologies with a range of tortuosity values reveal that tortuosity can significantly reduce the magnitude of the mobility and the electric-field dependence relative to a neat material. These reductions are found to be further controlled by the energetic disorder and temperature. Most significantly, the sensitivity of the electric-field dependence to the tortuosity can explain the different experimental relationships previously reported, and exploiting this sensitivity could lead to simpler methods for characterizing and optimizing charge transport in organic solar cells.

The rates of charge separation and energy destructive charge recombination processes within an organic dyad in presence of metal-semiconductor core shell nanocomposites.

Science.gov (United States)

Mandal, Gopa; Bhattacharya, Sudeshna; Das, Subrata; Ganguly, Tapan

2012-01-01

Steady state and time resolved spectroscopic measurements were made at the ambient temperature on an organic dyad, 1-(4-Chloro-phenyl)-3-(4-methoxy-naphthalen-1-yl)-propenone (MNCA), where the donor 1-methoxynaphthalene (1 MNT) is connected with the acceptor p-chloroacetophenone (PCA) by an unsaturated olefinic bond, in presence of Ag@TiO2 nanoparticles. Time resolved fluorescence and absorption measurements reveal that the rate parameters associated with charge separation, k(CS), within the dyad increases whereas charge recombination rate k(CR) reduces significantly when the surrounding medium is changed from only chloroform to mixture of chloroform and Ag@TiO2 (noble metal-semiconductor) nanocomposites. The observed results indicate that the dyad being combined with core-shell nanocomposites may form organic-inorganic nanocomposite system useful for developing light energy conversion devices. Use of metal-semiconductor nanoparticles may provide thus new ways to modulate charge recombination processes in light energy conversion devices. From comparison with the results obtained in our earlier investigations with only TiO2 nanoparticles, it is inferred that much improved version of light energy conversion device, where charge-separated species could be protected for longer period of time of the order of millisecond, could be designed by using metal-semiconductor core-shell nanocomposites rather than semiconductor nanoparticles only.

Tracking Ultrafast Carrier Dynamics in Single Semiconductor Nanowire Heterostructures

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taylor A.J.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available An understanding of non-equilibrium carrier dynamics in silicon (Si nanowires (NWs and NW heterostructures is very important due to their many nanophotonic and nanoelectronics applications. Here, we describe the first measurements of ultrafast carrier dynamics and diffusion in single heterostructured Si nanowires, obtained using ultrafast optical microscopy. By isolating individual nanowires, we avoid complications resulting from the broad size and alignment distribution in nanowire ensembles, allowing us to directly probe ultrafast carrier dynamics in these quasi-one-dimensional systems. Spatially-resolved pump-probe spectroscopy demonstrates the influence of surface-mediated mechanisms on carrier dynamics in a single NW, while polarization-resolved femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy reveals a clear anisotropy in carrier lifetimes measured parallel and perpendicular to the NW axis, due to density-dependent Auger recombination. Furthermore, separating the pump and probe spots along the NW axis enabled us to track space and time dependent carrier diffusion in radial and axial NW heterostructures. These results enable us to reveal the influence of radial and axial interfaces on carrier dynamics and charge transport in these quasi-one-dimensional nanosystems, which can then be used to tailor carrier relaxation in a single nanowire heterostructure for a given application.

A new approach to calculate charge carrier transport mobility in organic molecular crystals from imaginary time path integral simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Linze; Shi, Qiang

2015-01-01

We present a new non-perturbative method to calculate the charge carrier mobility using the imaginary time path integral approach, which is based on the Kubo formula for the conductivity, and a saddle point approximation to perform the analytic continuation. The new method is first tested using a benchmark calculation from the numerical exact hierarchical equations of motion method. Imaginary time path integral Monte Carlo simulations are then performed to explore the temperature dependence of charge carrier delocalization and mobility in organic molecular crystals (OMCs) within the Holstein and Holstein-Peierls models. The effects of nonlocal electron-phonon interaction on mobility in different charge transport regimes are also investigated

Determination of charge carrier mobility in doped low density polyethylene using DC transients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Khalil, M.Salah; Henk, Peter O; Henriksen, Mogens

1989-01-01

Charge carrier mobility was determined for plain and doped low-density polyethylene (LDPE) using DC transient currents. Barium titanate was used as a strongly polar dopant and titanium dioxide as a semiconductor dopant. The values of the mobility obtained were on the order of 10-10 cm2 v-1 s-1...

Control of polythiophene film microstructure and charge carrier dynamics through crystallization temperature

KAUST Repository

Marsh, Hilary S.; Reid, Obadiah G.; Barnes, George; Heeney, Martin; Stingelin, Natalie; Rumbles, Garry

2014-01-01

The microstructure of neat conjugated polymers is crucial in determining the ultimate morphology and photovoltaic performance of polymer/fullerene blends, yet until recently, little work has focused on controlling the former. Here, we demonstrate that both the long-range order along the (100)-direction and the lamellar crystal thickness along the (001)-direction in neat poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly[(3,3″-didecyl[2,2′:5′, 2″-terthiophene]-5,5″-diyl)] (PTTT-10) thin films can be manipulated by varying crystallization temperature. Changes in crystalline domain size impact the yield and dynamics of photogenerated charge carriers. Time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements show that neat polymer films composed of larger crystalline domains have longer photoconductance lifetimes and charge carrier yield decreases with increasing crystallite size for P3HT. Our results suggest that the classical polymer science description of temperature-dependent crystallization of polymers from solution can be used to understand thin-film formation in neat conjugated polymers, and hence, should be considered when discussing the structural evolution of organic bulk heterojunctions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Control of polythiophene film microstructure and charge carrier dynamics through crystallization temperature

KAUST Repository

Marsh, Hilary S.

2014-03-22

The microstructure of neat conjugated polymers is crucial in determining the ultimate morphology and photovoltaic performance of polymer/fullerene blends, yet until recently, little work has focused on controlling the former. Here, we demonstrate that both the long-range order along the (100)-direction and the lamellar crystal thickness along the (001)-direction in neat poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and poly[(3,3″-didecyl[2,2′:5′, 2″-terthiophene]-5,5″-diyl)] (PTTT-10) thin films can be manipulated by varying crystallization temperature. Changes in crystalline domain size impact the yield and dynamics of photogenerated charge carriers. Time-resolved microwave conductivity measurements show that neat polymer films composed of larger crystalline domains have longer photoconductance lifetimes and charge carrier yield decreases with increasing crystallite size for P3HT. Our results suggest that the classical polymer science description of temperature-dependent crystallization of polymers from solution can be used to understand thin-film formation in neat conjugated polymers, and hence, should be considered when discussing the structural evolution of organic bulk heterojunctions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Ultrafast carrier dynamics in a p-type GaN wafer under different carrier distributions

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Yu; Yang, Junyi; Yang, Yong; Wu, Xingzhi; Xiao, Zhengguo; Zhou, Feng; Song, Yinglin

2016-02-01

The dependence of the carrier distribution on photoexcited carrier dynamics in a p-type Mg-doped GaN (GaN:Mg) wafer were systematically measured by femtosecond transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy. The homogeneity of the carrier distribution was modified by tuning the wavelength of the UV pulse excitation around the band gap of GaN:Mg. The TA kinetics appeared to be biexponential for all carrier distributions, and only the slower component decayed faster as the inhomogeneity of the carrier distribution increased. It was concluded that the faster component (50-70 ps) corresponded to the trap process of holes by the Mg acceptors, and the slower component (150-600 ps) corresponded to the combination of non-radiative surface recombination and intrinsic carrier recombination via dislocations. Moreover, the slower component increased gradually with the incident fluence due to the saturation of surface states.

The mechanism of persistent photoconductivity induced by minority carrier trapping effect in ultraviolet photo-detector made of polycrystalline diamond film

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Lanxi; Chen Xuekang; Wu Gan; Guo Wantu; Cao Shengzhu; Shang Kaiwen; Han Weihua

2011-01-01

Performances of long persistent photoconductivity, high responsivity and high photoconductive gain were observed in a metal–semiconductor–metal ultraviolet photo-detector fabricated on a microcrystalline diamond film. Charge-based deep level transient spectroscopy measurement confirmed that a shallow level with activation energy of 0.21 eV and capture cross section of 9.9 × 10 −20 cm 2 is presented in the band gap of the diamond film. The shallow level may not act as effective recombination center due to the so small activation energy according to Schockly-Read-Hall statistics. The persistent photoconductivity relaxation fits in with the so called “barrier-limited recombination” model, which may be a minority carrier trapping effect related recombination process. The photo-induced minority carriers (electrons in this paper) may be trapped by the shallow level during light irradiation process and then de-trap slowly via thermal excitation or tunneling effect after removing the light source, which contributes to the persistent photoconductivity. The trapping effect can also reduce the probability of carrier recombination, resulting in the high responsivity and the high gain.

Variation of minority charge carrier lifetime in high-resistance p-type silicon under irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Basheleishvili, Z.V.; Garnyk, V.S.; Gorin, S.N.; Pagava, T.A.

1984-01-01

The minority carrier lifetime (tau) variation was studied in the process of p-type silicon bombardment with fast 8 MeV electrons. The irradiation and all measurements were carried out at room temperature. The tau quantity was measured by the photoconductivity attenuation method at a low injection level 20% measurement error; the resistivity was measured by the four-probe method (10% error). The resistivity and minority charge carrier lifetime tau are shown to increase with the exposure dose. It is supposed that as radiation dose increases, the rearrangement of the centres responsible for reducing the lifetime occurs and results in a tau increase in the material being irradiated, however the tau value observed in the original samples is not attained. The restoration of the minority carrier lifetime in p-type high-resistance silicon with a growing exposure dose might proceed due to reduction in the free carrier concentration

Non-contact, non-destructive, quantitative probing of interfacial trap sites for charge carrier transport at semiconductor-insulator boundary

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Choi, Wookjin; Miyakai, Tomoyo; Sakurai, Tsuneaki; Saeki, Akinori [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871 (Japan); Yokoyama, Masaaki [Kaneka Fundamental Technology Research Alliance Laboratories, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871 (Japan); Seki, Shu, E-mail: seki@chem.eng.osaka-u.ac.jp [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871 (Japan); Kaneka Fundamental Technology Research Alliance Laboratories, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka University, Suita 565-0871 (Japan)

2014-07-21

The density of traps at semiconductor–insulator interfaces was successfully estimated using microwave dielectric loss spectroscopy with model thin-film organic field-effect transistors. The non-contact, non-destructive analysis technique is referred to as field-induced time-resolved microwave conductivity (FI-TRMC) at interfaces. Kinetic traces of FI-TRMC transients clearly distinguished the mobile charge carriers at the interfaces from the immobile charges trapped at defects, allowing both the mobility of charge carriers and the number density of trap sites to be determined at the semiconductor-insulator interfaces. The number density of defects at the interface between evaporated pentacene on a poly(methylmethacrylate) insulating layer was determined to be 10{sup 12 }cm{sup −2}, and the hole mobility was up to 6.5 cm{sup 2} V{sup −1} s{sup −1} after filling the defects with trapped carriers. The FI-TRMC at interfaces technique has the potential to provide rapid screening for the assessment of interfacial electronic states in a variety of semiconductor devices.

Model for transport and reaction of defects and carriers within displacement cascades in gallium arsenide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wampler, William R.; Myers, Samuel M.

2015-01-01

A model is presented for recombination of charge carriers at evolving displacement damage in gallium arsenide, which includes clustering of the defects in atomic displacement cascades produced by neutron or ion irradiation. The carrier recombination model is based on an atomistic description of capture and emission of carriers by the defects with time evolution resulting from the migration and reaction of the defects. The physics and equations on which the model is based are presented, along with the details of the numerical methods used for their solution. The model uses a continuum description of diffusion, field-drift and reaction of carriers, and defects within a representative spherically symmetric cluster of defects. The initial radial defect profiles within the cluster were determined through pair-correlation-function analysis of the spatial distribution of defects obtained from the binary-collision code MARLOWE, using recoil energies for fission neutrons. Properties of the defects are discussed and values for their parameters are given, many of which were obtained from density functional theory. The model provides a basis for predicting the transient response of III-V heterojunction bipolar transistors to displacement damage from energetic particle irradiation

Multi-THz spectroscopy of mobile charge carriers in P3HT:PCBM on a sub-100 fs time scale

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Cooke, David G.; Krebs, Frederik C; Jepsen, Peter Uhd

2013-01-01

The dynamics of mobile charge carrier generation in polymer bulk heterojunction films is of vital importance to the development of more efficient organic photovoltaics. As with conventional semiconductors, the optical signatures of mobile carriers lie in the far-infrared (1-30 THz) although...

Mobility of delocalized charge carriers in an ideal homopolar glass as a function of temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iskra, V.D.

1986-01-01

The relationship between temperature and the mobility of delocalized charge carriers for an intrinsic random field of a homopolar glass is investigated through application of a method of scattering amplitude calculation based on employing short-lived potential factorization

Exciton shelves for charge and energy transport in third-generation quantum-dot devices

Science.gov (United States)

Goodman, Samuel; Singh, Vivek; Noh, Hyunwoo; Casamada, Josep; Chatterjee, Anushree; Cha, Jennifer; Nagpal, Prashant

2014-03-01

Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystallites with size-dependent quantum-confined energy levels. While they have been intensively investigated to utilize hot-carriers for photovoltaic applications, to bridge the mismatch between incident solar photons and finite bandgap of semiconductor photocells, efficient charge or exciton transport in quantum-dot films has proven challenging. Here we show development of new coupled conjugated molecular wires with ``exciton shelves'', or different energy levels, matched with the multiple energy levels of quantum dots. Using single nanoparticle and ensemble device measurements we show successful extraction and transport of both bandedge and high-energy charge carriers, and energy transport of excitons. We demonstrate using measurements of electronic density of states, that careful matching of energy states of quantum-dot with molecular wires is important, and any mismatch can generate midgap states leading to charge recombination and reduced efficiency. Therefore, these exciton-shelves and quantum dots can lead to development of next-generation photovoltaic and photodetection devices using simultaneous transport of bandedge and hot-carriers or energy transport of excitons in these nanostructured solution-processed films.

Phase separation in strongly correlated electron systems with two types of charge carriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kugel, K.I.; Rakhmanov, A.L.; Sboychakov, A.O.

2007-01-01

Full text: A competition between the localization of the charge carriers due to Jahn-Teller distortions and the energy gain due to their delocalization in doped manganite and related magnetic oxides is analyzed based on a Kondo-lattice type model. The resulting effective Hamiltonian is, in fact, a generalization of the Falicov-Kimball model. We find that the number of itinerant charge carriers can be significantly lower than that implied by the doping level x. The phase diagram of the model in the T plane is constructed. The system exhibits magnetic ordered (antiferromagnetic, ferromagnetic, or canted) states as well the paramagnetic states with zero and nonzero density of the itinerant electrons. It is shown that a phase-separation is favorable in energy for a wide doping range. The characteristic size of inhomogeneities in a phase-separated state is of the order of several lattice constants. We also analyzed the two-band Hubbard model in the limit of strong on-site Coulomb repulsion. It was shown that such a system has a tendency to phase separation into the regions with different charge densities even in the absence of magnetic or any other ordering, if the ratio of the bandwidths is large enough. The work was supported by the European project CoMePhS and by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 05-02-17600. (authors)

Probing surface states in PbS nanocrystal films using pentacene field effect transistors: controlling carrier concentration and charge transport in pentacene.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Byoungnam; Whitham, Kevin; Bian, Kaifu; Lim, Yee-Fun; Hanrath, Tobias

2014-12-21

We used a bilayer field effect transistor (FET) consisting of a thin PbS nanocrystals (NCs) film interfaced with vacuum-deposited pentacene to probe trap states in NCs. We interpret the observed threshold voltage shift in context of charge carrier trapping by PbS NCs and relate the magnitude of the threshold voltage shift to the number of trapped carriers. We explored a series of NC surface ligands to modify the interface between PbS NCs and pentacene and demonstrate the impact of interface chemistry on charge carrier density and the FET mobility in a pentacene FET.

Exploring the validity and limitations of the Mott-Gurney law for charge-carrier mobility determination of semiconducting thin-films.

Science.gov (United States)

Röhr, Jason A; Moia, Davide; Haque, Saif A; Kirchartz, Thomas; Nelson, Jenny

2018-03-14

Using drift-diffusion simulations, we investigate the voltage dependence of the dark current in single carrier devices typically used to determine charge-carrier mobilities. For both low and high voltages, the current increases linearly with the applied voltage. Whereas the linear current at low voltages is mainly due to space charge in the middle of the device, the linear current at high voltage is caused by charge-carrier saturation due to a high degree of injection. As a consequence, the current density at these voltages does not follow the classical square law derived by Mott and Gurney, and we show that for trap-free devices, only for intermediate voltages, a space-charge-limited drift current can be observed with a slope that approaches a value of two. We show that, depending on the thickness of the semiconductor layer and the size of the injection barriers, the two linear current-voltage regimes can dominate the whole voltage range, and the intermediate Mott-Gurney regime can shrink or disappear. In this case, which will especially occur for thicknesses and injection barriers typical of single-carrier devices used to probe organic semiconductors, a meaningful analysis using the Mott-Gurney law will become unachievable, because a square-law fit can no longer be achieved, resulting in the mobility being substantially underestimated. General criteria for when to expect deviations from the Mott-Gurney law when used for analysis of intrinsic semiconductors are discussed.

Exploring the validity and limitations of the Mott-Gurney law for charge-carrier mobility determination of semiconducting thin-films

Science.gov (United States)

Röhr, Jason A.; Moia, Davide; Haque, Saif A.; Kirchartz, Thomas; Nelson, Jenny

2018-03-01

Using drift-diffusion simulations, we investigate the voltage dependence of the dark current in single carrier devices typically used to determine charge-carrier mobilities. For both low and high voltages, the current increases linearly with the applied voltage. Whereas the linear current at low voltages is mainly due to space charge in the middle of the device, the linear current at high voltage is caused by charge-carrier saturation due to a high degree of injection. As a consequence, the current density at these voltages does not follow the classical square law derived by Mott and Gurney, and we show that for trap-free devices, only for intermediate voltages, a space-charge-limited drift current can be observed with a slope that approaches a value of two. We show that, depending on the thickness of the semiconductor layer and the size of the injection barriers, the two linear current-voltage regimes can dominate the whole voltage range, and the intermediate Mott-Gurney regime can shrink or disappear. In this case, which will especially occur for thicknesses and injection barriers typical of single-carrier devices used to probe organic semiconductors, a meaningful analysis using the Mott-Gurney law will become unachievable, because a square-law fit can no longer be achieved, resulting in the mobility being substantially underestimated. General criteria for when to expect deviations from the Mott-Gurney law when used for analysis of intrinsic semiconductors are discussed.

The thermoballistic transport model a novel approach to charge carrier transport in semiconductors

CERN Document Server

Lipperheide, Reinhard

2014-01-01

The book presents a comprehensive survey of the thermoballistic approach to charge carrier transport in semiconductors. This semi-classical approach, which the authors have developed over the past decade, bridges the gap between the opposing drift-diffusion and ballistic  models of carrier transport. While incorporating basic features of the latter two models, the physical concept underlying the thermoballistic approach constitutes a novel, unifying scheme. It is based on the introduction of "ballistic configurations" arising from a random partitioning of the length of a semiconducting sample into ballistic transport intervals. Stochastic averaging of the ballistic carrier currents over the ballistic configurations results in a position-dependent thermoballistic current, which is the key element of the thermoballistic concept and forms  the point of departure for the calculation of all relevant transport properties. In the book, the thermoballistic concept and its implementation are developed in great detai...

The use of charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage in polar organic light-emitting diodes

Science.gov (United States)

Züfle, Simon; Altazin, Stéphane; Hofmann, Alexander; Jäger, Lars; Neukom, Martin T.; Schmidt, Tobias D.; Brütting, Wolfgang; Ruhstaller, Beat

2017-05-01

We demonstrate the application of the CELIV (charge carrier extraction by linearly increasing voltage) technique to bilayer organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) in order to selectively determine the hole mobility in N,N0-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N0-diphenyl-1,10-biphenyl-4,40-diamine (α-NPD). In the CELIV technique, mobile charges in the active layer are extracted by applying a negative voltage ramp, leading to a peak superimposed to the measured displacement current whose temporal position is related to the charge carrier mobility. In fully operating devices, however, bipolar carrier transport and recombination complicate the analysis of CELIV transients as well as the assignment of the extracted mobility value to one charge carrier species. This has motivated a new approach of fabricating dedicated metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) devices, where the extraction current contains signatures of only one charge carrier type. In this work, we show that the MIS-CELIV concept can be employed in bilayer polar OLEDs as well, which are easy to fabricate using most common electron transport layers (ETLs), like Tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq3). Due to the macroscopic polarization of the ETL, holes are already injected into the hole transport layer below the built-in voltage and accumulate at the internal interface with the ETL. This way, by a standard CELIV experiment only holes will be extracted, allowing us to determine their mobility. The approach can be established as a powerful way of selectively measuring charge mobilities in new materials in a standard device configuration.

The charge exchange recombination diagnostic system on the DIII-D tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gohil, P.; Burrell, K.H.; Groebner, R.J.; Kim, J.; Martin, W.C.; McKee, E.L.; Seraydarian, R.P.

1991-11-01

The charge exchange recombination (CER) diagnostic system on the DIII-D tokamak is used to make spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the ion temperature and toroidal and poloidal rotation velocities. This is performed through visible spectroscopic measurements of the Doppler broadened and Doppler shifted HE II 468.6 nm, the CVI 529.1 nm, and the BV 494.5 nm spectral lines which have been excited by charge exchange recombination interactions between the fully stripped ions and the neutral atoms from the heating beams. The plasma viewing optics comprises 32 viewing chords spanning a typical plasma minor radius of 63 cm across the midplane, of which 15 spatial chords span 4.2 cm at the plasma edge just within the separatrix and provide a chord-to-chord spatial resolution of 0.3 cm. Fast camera readout electronics can provide a temporal resolution of 260 μs per time slice, but the effective minimum integration time, at present, is 1 ms which is limited by the detected photon flux from the plasma and the decay times of the phosphors used on the multichannel plate image intensifiers. Significant changes in the edge plasma radial electric field at the L-H transition have been observed, as determined from the CER measurements, and these results are being extensively compared to theories which consider the effects of sheared electric fields on plasma turbulence. 13 refs., 10 figs

Analysis of carrier transport and carrier trapping in organic diodes with polyimide-6,13-Bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene double-layer by charge modulation spectroscopy and optical second harmonic generation measurement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lim, Eunju, E-mail: elim@dankook.ac.kr, E-mail: taguchi.d.aa@m.titech.ac.jp, E-mail: iwamoto@pe.titech.ac.jp [Department of Applied Physics, Institute of Nanosensor and Biotechnology, Dankook University, Jukjeon-dong, Gyeonggi-do 448-701 (Korea, Republic of); Taguchi, Dai, E-mail: elim@dankook.ac.kr, E-mail: taguchi.d.aa@m.titech.ac.jp, E-mail: iwamoto@pe.titech.ac.jp; Iwamoto, Mitsumasa, E-mail: elim@dankook.ac.kr, E-mail: taguchi.d.aa@m.titech.ac.jp, E-mail: iwamoto@pe.titech.ac.jp [Department of Physical Electronics, Tokyo Institute of Technology 2-12-1, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552 (Japan)

2014-08-18

We studied the carrier transport and carrier trapping in indium tin oxide/polyimide (PI)/6,13-Bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene (TIPS-pentacene)/Au diodes by using charge modulation spectroscopy (CMS) and time-resolved electric field induced optical second harmonic generation (TR-EFISHG) measurements. TR-EFISHG directly probes the spatial carrier behaviors in the diodes, and CMS is useful in explaining the carrier motion with respect to energy. The results clearly indicate that the injected carriers move across TIPS-pentacene thorough the molecular energy states of TIPS-pentacene and accumulate at the PI/TIPS-pentacene interface. However, some carriers are trapped in the PI layers. These findings take into account the capacitance-voltage and current-voltage characteristics of the diodes.

Measurement on the emission of charge exchange recombination in HT-6M tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Wei; Wan Baonian

1999-01-01

The distribution of C VI line (at 207.1 nm) and the time behavior has been measured with Optical Spectroscope Multichannel Analyzer and single channel near ultra-violet system in HT-6M Tokamak. The result of the analysis of line shape and the time behavior show that C VI line (at 207.1 nm) stemmed from the emission of charge exchange recombination processes

Electronic structure of charge carriers in a polysilane quantum wire

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kumagai, J.; Yoshida, H.; Ichikawa, T.

1997-01-01

The ESR, ESEEM and spectrophotometric studies on polysilane radical ions revealed that charge carriers, hole and conducting electrons, are not delocalized all over the Si-Si main chain but confined to a part of the chain composed of only six Si atoms, probably near the branch on the main chain. Comparison of the ESR spectra of the radical cations and anions revealed that the hole can migrate from the main chain to an adjacent polymer chain via the side chains, whereas the conducting electron can not migrate since the side chains act as good intermolecular insulators for the electron. (author)

Influence of γ- radiation on the recombination properties of P-type nickel doped silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kurbanov, A.O.; Karimov, M.

2006-01-01

Full text: It is well known that the life-time of the charge carriers is most sensitive parameter of the semiconductors. The results of numerous investigations show that by irradiation of the multi-crystal silicon with high-energy particles (electrons, protons, γ-quanta) the life-time of the minor charge carriers appreciably decreases. Ones think that the reason of such effect is the generation of the recombination radiation defects by irradiation. In this connection in this work the investigation of the nickel doped silicon with various post-diffusion cooling is performed. As an initial material the p - Si with ∼ 10 Ohm·cm specific resistance was used. The dislocation density is taken to be ∼10 4 cm -2 . Doping of silicon by nickel carried out in the temperature range of 1050-1150 degree C with succeeding I and II type cooling. The life-time of the charge carriers was determined using the stationary photoconductivity method. It is discovered that the life-time of the charge carriers in p-Si is longer than that in the control silicon as well as τ slightly increases by increasing of the nickel's atoms concentration (in these samples the acceptor centers concentration changes in the range of 1.5·10 14 - 3.5·10 14 cm -3 ). This effect is explained on a basis of investigations of the photoconductivity relaxation kinetics (at 70 K) by the capture of the charge carriers to the sticking level. It is revealed that the relative life-time changing is appreciably various one from other in I and II type samples. In the rapid cooled samples τ more stable than slow cooled samples. In the rapid cooled samples more stable than slow cooled samples up to doze ∼2.5·10 8 R. (author)

Comparison of modification strategies towards enhanced charge carrier separation and photocatalytic degradation activity of metal oxide semiconductors (TiO{sub 2}, WO{sub 3} and ZnO)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kumar, S. Girish [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012 Karnataka (India); Department of Chemistry, School of Engineering and Technology, CMR University, Bengaluru, 562149, Karnataka (India); Rao, K.S.R. Koteswara, E-mail: raoksrk@gmail.com [Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012 Karnataka (India)

2017-01-01

Graphical abstract: Semiconductor metal oxides: Modifications, charge carrier dynamics and photocatalysis. - Highlights: • TiO{sub 2}, WO{sub 3} and ZnO based photocatalysis is reviewed. • Advances to improve the efficiency are emphasized. • Differences and similarities in the modifications are highlighted. • Charge carrier dynamics for each strategy are discussed. - Abstract: Metal oxide semiconductors (TiO{sub 2}, WO{sub 3} and ZnO) finds unparalleled opportunity in wastewater purification under UV/visible light, largely encouraged by their divergent admirable features like stability, non-toxicity, ease of preparation, suitable band edge positions and facile generation of active oxygen species in the aqueous medium. However, the perennial failings of these photocatalysts emanates from the stumbling blocks like rapid charge carrier recombination and meager visible light response. In this review, tailoring the surface-bulk electronic structure through the calibrated and veritable approaches such as impurity doping, deposition with noble metals, sensitizing with other compounds (dyes, polymers, inorganic complexes and simple chelating ligands), hydrogenation process (annealing under hydrogen atmosphere), electronic integration with other semiconductors, modifying with carbon nanostructures, designing with exposed facets and tailoring with hierarchical morphologies to overcome their critical drawbacks are summarized. Taking into account the materials intrinsic properties, the pros and cons together with similarities and striking differences for each strategy in specific to TiO{sub 2}, WO{sub 3} & ZnO are highlighted. These subtlety enunciates the primacy for improving the structure-electronic properties of metal oxides and credence to its fore in the practical applications. Future research must focus on comparing the performances of ZnO, TiO{sub 2} and WO{sub 3} in parallel to get insight into their photocatalytic behaviors. Such comparisons not only reveal

FOB-SH: Fragment orbital-based surface hopping for charge carrier transport in organic and biological molecules and materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spencer, J.; Gajdos, F.; Blumberger, J., E-mail: j.blumberger@ucl.ac.uk [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)

2016-08-14

We introduce a fragment orbital-based fewest switches surface hopping method, FOB-SH, designed to efficiently simulate charge carrier transport in strongly fluctuating condensed phase systems such as organic semiconductors and biomolecules. The charge carrier wavefunction is expanded and the electronic Hamiltonian constructed in a set of singly occupied molecular orbitals of the molecular sites that mediate the charge transfer. Diagonal elements of the electronic Hamiltonian (site energies) are obtained from a force field, whereas the off-diagonal or electronic coupling matrix elements are obtained using our recently developed analytic overlap method. We derive a general expression for the exact forces on the adiabatic ground and excited electronic state surfaces from the nuclear gradients of the charge localized electronic states. Applications to electron hole transfer in a model ethylene dimer and through a chain of ten model ethylenes validate our implementation and demonstrate its computational efficiency. On the larger system, we calculate the qualitative behaviour of charge mobility with change in temperature T for different regimes of the intermolecular electronic coupling. For small couplings, FOB-SH predicts a crossover from a thermally activated regime at low temperatures to a band-like transport regime at higher temperatures. For higher electronic couplings, the thermally activated regime disappears and the mobility decreases according to a power law. This is interpreted by a gradual loss in probability for resonance between the sites as the temperature increases. The polaron hopping model solved for the same system gives a qualitatively different result and underestimates the mobility decay at higher temperatures. Taken together, the FOB-SH methodology introduced here shows promise for a realistic investigation of charge carrier transport in complex organic, aqueous, and biological systems.

FOB-SH: Fragment orbital-based surface hopping for charge carrier transport in organic and biological molecules and materials

Science.gov (United States)

Spencer, J.; Gajdos, F.; Blumberger, J.

2016-08-01

We introduce a fragment orbital-based fewest switches surface hopping method, FOB-SH, designed to efficiently simulate charge carrier transport in strongly fluctuating condensed phase systems such as organic semiconductors and biomolecules. The charge carrier wavefunction is expanded and the electronic Hamiltonian constructed in a set of singly occupied molecular orbitals of the molecular sites that mediate the charge transfer. Diagonal elements of the electronic Hamiltonian (site energies) are obtained from a force field, whereas the off-diagonal or electronic coupling matrix elements are obtained using our recently developed analytic overlap method. We derive a general expression for the exact forces on the adiabatic ground and excited electronic state surfaces from the nuclear gradients of the charge localized electronic states. Applications to electron hole transfer in a model ethylene dimer and through a chain of ten model ethylenes validate our implementation and demonstrate its computational efficiency. On the larger system, we calculate the qualitative behaviour of charge mobility with change in temperature T for different regimes of the intermolecular electronic coupling. For small couplings, FOB-SH predicts a crossover from a thermally activated regime at low temperatures to a band-like transport regime at higher temperatures. For higher electronic couplings, the thermally activated regime disappears and the mobility decreases according to a power law. This is interpreted by a gradual loss in probability for resonance between the sites as the temperature increases. The polaron hopping model solved for the same system gives a qualitatively different result and underestimates the mobility decay at higher temperatures. Taken together, the FOB-SH methodology introduced here shows promise for a realistic investigation of charge carrier transport in complex organic, aqueous, and biological systems.

Charge exchange recombination spectroscopy as a plasma diagnostic tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fonck, R.J.

1984-12-01

Intensity and line profile measurements of the spectra of light hydrogenic ion which are excited by charge exchange reactions with fast neutral atoms are being widely used as diagnostics for fusion plasma research. This technique, which is referred to as charge exchange recombination spectroscopy, allows measurements of the densities of fully stripped impurity ions and particle transport coefficients with only minor uncertainties arising from atomic processes. The excitation of long wavelength transitions in light ions such as He + , C 5+ , and O 7+ allows relatively easy measurements of ion velocity distributions to determine ion temperatures and plasma rotation velocities. Among its advantages for such measurements are the facts that fiber optic coupling between a remote spectrometer and the immediate reactor environment is possible in many cases. The measurement is localized by the intersection region of a neutral beamline and viewing sightline, and intrinsic ions can be used so that injection of potentially perturbing impurities can be avoided. A particularly challenging application of this technique lies in the diagnosis of alpha particles expected to be produced in the present generation of Q approx. = 1 tokamak experiments

Direct spectroscopic observation of charge-exchange recombination of medium-Z elements in the PLT tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skinner, C.H.; Suckewer, S.; Cohen, S.A.; Schilling, G.; Wilson, R.; Stratton, B.

1984-03-01

We report the first observation of line emission resulting directly from charge-exchange recombination of medium-Z elements (Al, Sc) injected into a PLT discharge. Transitions due to the radiative cascade immediately following charge-exchange of He-like Al and Sc were observed by a VUV spectrograph and two air monochromators. In two cases, AlXI 3209 A and ScXIX 112.1 A, the observed transition had not previously been experimentally identified. Spatial scans provided information on the profile of the neutral beam in the plasma

From Recombination Dynamics to Device Performance: Quantifying the Efficiency of Exciton Dissociation, Charge Separation, and Extraction in Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Fluorine-Substituted Polymer Donors

KAUST Repository

Gorenflot, Julien

2017-09-28

An original set of experimental and modeling tools is used to quantify the yield of each of the physical processes leading to photocurrent generation in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells, enabling evaluation of materials and processing condition beyond the trivial comparison of device performances. Transient absorption spectroscopy, “the” technique to monitor all intermediate states over the entire relevant timescale, is combined with time-delayed collection field experiments, transfer matrix simulations, spectral deconvolution, and parametrization of the charge carrier recombination by a two-pool model, allowing quantification of densities of excitons and charges and extrapolation of their kinetics to device-relevant conditions. Photon absorption, charge transfer, charge separation, and charge extraction are all quantified for two recently developed wide-bandgap donor polymers: poly(4,8-bis((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-3,4-difluorothiophene) (PBDT[2F]T) and its nonfluorinated counterpart poly(4,8-bis((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-3,4-thiophene) (PBDT[2H]T) combined with PC71BM in bulk heterojunctions. The product of these yields is shown to agree well with the devices\\' external quantum efficiency. This methodology elucidates in the specific case studied here the origin of improved photocurrents obtained when using PBDT[2F]T instead of PBDT[2H]T as well as upon using solvent additives. Furthermore, a higher charge transfer (CT)-state energy is shown to lead to significantly lower energy losses (resulting in higher VOC) during charge generation compared to P3HT:PCBM.

From Recombination Dynamics to Device Performance: Quantifying the Efficiency of Exciton Dissociation, Charge Separation, and Extraction in Bulk Heterojunction Solar Cells with Fluorine-Substituted Polymer Donors

KAUST Repository

Gorenflot, Julien; Paulke, Andreas; Piersimoni, Fortunato; Wolf, Jannic Sebastian; Kan, Zhipeng; Cruciani, Federico; El Labban, Abdulrahman; Neher, Dieter; Beaujuge, Pierre; Laquai, Fré dé ric

2017-01-01

An original set of experimental and modeling tools is used to quantify the yield of each of the physical processes leading to photocurrent generation in organic bulk heterojunction solar cells, enabling evaluation of materials and processing condition beyond the trivial comparison of device performances. Transient absorption spectroscopy, “the” technique to monitor all intermediate states over the entire relevant timescale, is combined with time-delayed collection field experiments, transfer matrix simulations, spectral deconvolution, and parametrization of the charge carrier recombination by a two-pool model, allowing quantification of densities of excitons and charges and extrapolation of their kinetics to device-relevant conditions. Photon absorption, charge transfer, charge separation, and charge extraction are all quantified for two recently developed wide-bandgap donor polymers: poly(4,8-bis((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-3,4-difluorothiophene) (PBDT[2F]T) and its nonfluorinated counterpart poly(4,8-bis((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b′]dithiophene-3,4-thiophene) (PBDT[2H]T) combined with PC71BM in bulk heterojunctions. The product of these yields is shown to agree well with the devices' external quantum efficiency. This methodology elucidates in the specific case studied here the origin of improved photocurrents obtained when using PBDT[2F]T instead of PBDT[2H]T as well as upon using solvent additives. Furthermore, a higher charge transfer (CT)-state energy is shown to lead to significantly lower energy losses (resulting in higher VOC) during charge generation compared to P3HT:PCBM.

Ultrafast Charge and Triplet State Formation in Diketopyrrolopyrrole Low Band Gap Polymer/Fullerene Blends: Influence of Nanoscale Morphology of Organic Photovoltaic Materials on Charge Recombination to the Triplet State

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

René M. Williams

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy of thin films of two types of morphologies of diketopyrrolopyrrole low band gap polymer/fullerene-adduct blends is presented and indicates triplet state formation by charge recombination, an important loss channel in organic photovoltaic materials. At low laser fluence (approaching solar intensity charge formation characterized by a 1350 nm band (in ~250 fs dominates in the two PDPP-PCBM blends with different nanoscale morphologies and these charges recombine to form a local polymer-based triplet state on the sub-ns timescale (in ~300 and ~900 ps indicated by an 1100 nm absorption band. The rate of triplet state formation is influenced by the morphology. The slower rate of charge recombination to the triplet state (in ~900 ps belongs to a morphology that results in a higher power conversion efficiency in the corresponding device. Nanoscale morphology not only influences interfacial area and conduction of holes and electrons but also influences the mechanism of intersystem crossing (ISC. We present a model that correlates morphology to the exchange integral and fast and slow mechanisms for ISC (SOCT-ISC and H-HFI-ISC. For the pristine polymer, a flat and unstructured singlet-singlet absorption spectrum (between 900 and 1400 nm and a very minor triplet state formation (5% are observed at low laser fluence.

Measuring the Edge Recombination Velocity of Monolayer Semiconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Peida; Amani, Matin; Lien, Der-Hsien; Ahn, Geun Ho; Kiriya, Daisuke; Mastandrea, James P; Ager, Joel W; Yablonovitch, Eli; Chrzan, Daryl C; Javey, Ali

2017-09-13

Understanding edge effects and quantifying their impact on the carrier properties of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors is an essential step toward utilizing this material for high performance electronic and optoelectronic devices. WS 2 monolayers patterned into disks of varying diameters are used to experimentally explore the influence of edges on the material's optical properties. Carrier lifetime measurements show a decrease in the effective lifetime, τ effective , as a function of decreasing diameter, suggesting that the edges are active sites for carrier recombination. Accordingly, we introduce a metric called edge recombination velocity (ERV) to characterize the impact of 2D material edges on nonradiative carrier recombination. The unpassivated WS 2 monolayer disks yield an ERV ∼ 4 × 10 4 cm/s. This work quantifies the nonradiative recombination edge effects in monolayer semiconductors, while simultaneously establishing a practical characterization approach that can be used to experimentally explore edge passivation methods for 2D materials.

Free-carrier-compensated charged domain walls produced with super-bandgap illumination in insulating ferroelectrics

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Bednyakov, Petr; Sluka, T.; Tagantsev, A.; Damjanovic, D.; Setter, N.

2016-01-01

Roč. 28, č. 43 (2016), s. 9498-9503 ISSN 0935-9648 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-04121S Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : super-bandgap illumination * charged domain walls * ferroelectric BaTiO 3 * free-carrier generation Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 19.791, year: 2016

Carrier transport dynamics in Mn-doped CdSe quantum dot sensitized solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Poudyal, Uma; Maloney, Francis S.; Sapkota, Keshab; Wang, Wenyong

2017-10-01

In this work quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) were fabricated with CdSe and Mn-doped CdSe quantum dots (QDs) using the SILAR method. QDSSCs based on Mn-doped CdSe QDs exhibited improved incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency. Carrier transport dynamics in the QDSSCs were studied using the intensity modulated photocurrent/photovoltage spectroscopy technique, from which transport and recombination time constants could be derived. Compared to CdSe QDSSCs, Mn-CdSe QDSSCs exhibited shorter transport time constant, longer recombination time constant, longer diffusion length, and higher charge collection efficiency. These observations suggested that Mn doping in CdSe QDs could benefit the performance of solar cells based on such nanostructures.

High reduction of interfacial charge recombination in colloidal quantum dot solar cells by metal oxide surface passivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Jin; Kuga, Yuki; Mora-Seró, Iván; Toyoda, Taro; Ogomi, Yuhei; Hayase, Shuzi; Bisquert, Juan; Shen, Qing

2015-03-12

Bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells based on colloidal QDs and metal oxide nanowires (NWs) possess unique and outstanding advantages in enhancing light harvesting and charge collection in comparison to planar architectures. However, the high surface area of the NW structure often brings about a large amount of recombination (especially interfacial recombination) and limits the open-circuit voltage in BHJ solar cells. This problem is solved here by passivating the surface of the metal oxide component in PbS colloidal quantum dot solar cells (CQDSCs). By coating thin TiO2 layers onto ZnO-NW surfaces, the open-circuit voltage and power conversion efficiency have been improved by over 40% in PbS CQDSCs. Characterization by transient photovoltage decay and impedance spectroscopy indicated that the interfacial recombination was significantly reduced by the surface passivation strategy. An efficiency as high as 6.13% was achieved through the passivation approach and optimization for the length of the ZnO-NW arrays (device active area: 16 mm2). All solar cells were tested in air, and exhibited excellent air storage stability (without any performance decline over more than 130 days). This work highlights the significance of metal oxide passivation in achieving high performance BHJ solar cells. The charge recombination mechanism uncovered in this work could shed light on the further improvement of PbS CQDSCs and/or other types of solar cells.

Modelling of charge carrier transport in conjugated polymers doped by polar additives

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Toman, Petr; Nešpůrek, Stanislav; Bartkowiak, W.

2009-01-01

Roč. 27, č. 3 (2009), s. 797-812 ISSN 0137-1339. [International Conference on Electrical and Related Properties of Organic Solids /11./. Piechowice, 13.07.2008-17.07.2008] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/06/0285; GA AV ČR KAN400720701; GA MŠk MEB050815 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : conjugated polymers * charge carrier transport * molecular electronics Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 0.384, year: 2009

Collection efficiency of charges in ionization chambers in presence of constant or variable radiation intensity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Decuyper, J.

1970-01-01

The theoretical and experimental study of the collection of carriers built up by ionization in standard chambers, is made by varying the value of different acting parameters. In the presence of constant ionization intensity and under a D.C. and A.C. voltage, the effect of geometry, recombination, diffusion and attachment is analyzed. The compensation of thermal neutron D.C. chambers is equally considered. Under a time dependent ionization intensity and D.C. voltage, is then studied the effect of recombination on current response, and on the collection efficiency of all formed charges. (author) [fr

Efficient charge-carrier extraction from Ag₂S quantum dots prepared by the SILAR method for utilization of multiple exciton generation.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaoliang; Liu, Jianhua; Johansson, Erik M J

2015-01-28

The utilization of electron-hole pairs (EHPs) generated from multiple excitons in quantum dots (QDs) is of great interest toward efficient photovoltaic devices and other optoelectronic devices; however, extraction of charge carriers remains difficult. Herein, we extract photocharges from Ag2S QDs and investigate the dependence of the electric field on the extraction of charges from multiple exciton generation (MEG). Low toxic Ag2S QDs are directly grown on TiO2 mesoporous substrates by employing the successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The contact between QDs is important for the initial charge separation after MEG and for the carrier transport, and the space between neighbor QDs decreases with more SILAR cycles, resulting in better charge extraction. At the optimal electric field for extraction of photocharges, the results suggest that the threshold energy (hνth) for MEG is 2.41Eg. The results reveal that Ag2S QD is a promising material for efficient extraction of charges from MEG and that QDs prepared by SILAR have an advantageous electrical contact facilitating charge separation and extraction.

Change in carrier type in high-k gate carbon nanotube field-effect transistors by interface fixed charges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moriyama, N; Ohno, Y; Kitamura, T; Kishimoto, S; Mizutani, T

2010-01-01

We study the phenomenon of change in carrier type in carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNFETs) caused by the atomic layer deposition (ALD) of a HfO 2 gate insulator. When a HfO 2 layer is deposited on a CNFET, the type of carrier changes from p-type to n-type. The so-obtained n-type device has good performance and stability in air. The conductivity of such a device with a channel length of 0.7 μm is 11% of the quantum conductance 4e 2 /h. The contact resistance for electron current is estimated to be 14 kΩ. The n-type conduction of this CNFET is maintained for more than 100 days. The change in carrier type is attributed to positive fixed charges introduced at the interface between the HfO 2 and SiO 2 layers. We also propose a novel technique to control the type of conduction by utilizing interface fixed charges; this technique is compatible with Si CMOS process technology.

A neural network for the analysis of DIII-D charge exchange recombination data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baker, D.R.; Groebner, R.J.; Burrell, K.H.

1994-01-01

A neural network of the multiple-layer perceptron (MLP) type, named CERNEUR, has been created for the task of analysing the charge exchange recombination data from DIII-D for the purpose of providing control-room ion temperatures and rotation velocities between shots and, in the future, to provide initial guesses for the standard curve-fitting code. CERNEUR provides very useful 'control-room' in-between shot analysis of the rotation velocity and ion temperature profiles. (author)

Manipulation of charge carrier injection into organic field-effect transistors by self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Asadi, Kamal; Gholamrezaie, Fatemeh; Smits, Edsger C. P.; Blom, Paul W. M.; de Boer, Bert

2007-01-01

Charge carrier injection into two semiconducting polymers is investigated in field-effect transistors using gold source and drain electrodes that are modified by self-assembled monolayers of alkanethiols and perfluorinated alkanethiols. The presence of an interfacial dipole associated with the

Molecular control of photoexcited charge transfer and recombination at a quaterthiophene/zinc oxide interface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mou Weiwei; Nakano, Aiichiro; Ohmura, Satoshi; Shimojo, Fuyuki

2012-01-01

Nonadiabatic quantum molecular dynamics simulations are performed to study photoexcited charge transfer (CT) and charge recombination (CR) at an interface between a conjugated oligomer donor, quaterthiophene (QT), and an inorganic acceptor (ZnO). Simulations reveal a detrimental effect of static disorder in QT conformation on the efficiency of hybrid QT/ZnO solar cells due to increased CR. On the contrary, dynamic disorder (i.e., fluctuation of carbon-hydrogen bonds in QT) is essential for high efficiency by assisting CT. The separate controllability of CT and CR at the molecular level has impacts on molecular design for efficient solar cells and explains recent experimental observations.

The influence of morphology on charge transport/recombination dynamics in planar perovskite solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Man; Wang, Yi; Wang, Hao-Yi; Han, Jun; Qin, Yujun; Zhang, Jian-Ping; Ai, Xi-Cheng

2016-10-01

The photovoltaic performance of planar perovskite solar cell is significantly influenced by the morphology of perovskite film. In this work, five kinds of devices with different perovskite film morphologies were prepared by varying the concentration of CH3NH3Cl in precursor solutions. We found that best morphology of perovskite film results in the excellent photovoltaic performance with an average efficiency of 15.52% and a champion efficiency of 16.38%. Transient photovoltage and photocurrent measurements are performed to elucidate the mechanism of photoelectric conversion processes, which shows that the charge recombination is effectively suppressed and the charge transport is obviously promoted by optimized morphology.

Carrier Transport and Related Effects in Detectors of the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundqvist, Kyle Michael [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2012-01-01

The Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS) is searching for weakly-interacting massive particles (WIMPS), which could explain the dark matter problem in cosmology and particle physics. By simultaneously measuring signals from deposited charge and the energy in nonequilibrium phonons created by particle interactions in intrinsic germanium crystals at a temperature of 40 mK, a signature response for each event is produced. This response, combined with phonon pulse-shape information, allows CDMS to actively discriminate candidate WIMP interactions with nuclei from electromagnetic radioactive background which interacts with electrons. The challenges associated with these techniques are unique. Carrier scattering is dominated by the spontaneous emission of Luke-Neganov phonons due to zeropoint fluctuations of the lattice ions. Drift fields are maintained at only a few V/cm, else these emitted phonons would dominate the phonons of the original interaction. The dominant systematic issues with CDMS detectors are due to the effects of space charge accumulation. It has been an open question how space charge accrues, and by which of several potential recombination and ionization processes. In this work, we have simulated the transport of electrons and holes in germanium under CDMS conditions. We have implemented both a traditional Monte Carlo technique based on carrier energy, followed later by a novel Monte Carlo algorithm with scattering rates defined and sampled by vector momentum. This vector-based method provides for a full anisotropic simulation of carrier transport including free-fight acceleration with an anisotropic mass, and anisotropic scattering rates. With knowledge of steady state carrier dynamics as a function of applied field, the results of our Monte Carlo simulations allow us to make a wide variety of predictions for energy dependent processes for both electrons and holes. Such processes include carrier capture by charged impurities, neutral impurities, static

Opto-electro-modulated transient photovoltage and photocurrent system for investigation of charge transport and recombination in solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Jiangjian; Li, Dongmei; Luo, Yanhong; Wu, Huijue; Meng, Qingbo

2016-12-01

An opto-electro-modulated transient photovoltage/photocurrent system has been developed to probe microscopic charge processes of a solar cell in its adjustable operating conditions. The reliability of this system is carefully determined by electric circuit simulations and experimental measurements. Using this system, the charge transport, recombination and storage properties of a conventional multicrystalline silicon solar cell under different steady-state bias voltages, and light illumination intensities are investigated. This system has also been applied to study the influence of the hole transport material layer on charge extraction and the microscopic charge processes behind the widely considered photoelectric hysteresis in perovskite solar cells.

Theoretical rationalization for reduced charge recombination in bulky carbazole-based sensitizers in solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Surakhot, Yaowarat; Laszlo, Viktor; Chitpakdee, Chirawat; Promarak, Vinich; Sudyoadsuk, Taweesak; Kungwan, Nawee; Kowalczyk, Tim; Irle, Stephan; Jungsuttiwong, Siriporn

2017-05-05

The search for greater efficiency in organic dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs) and in their perovskite cousins is greatly aided by a more complete understanding of the spectral and morphological properties of the photoactive layer. This investigation resolves a discrepancy in the observed photoconversion efficiency (PCE) of two closely related DSCs based on carbazole-containing D-π-A organic sensitizers. Detailed theoretical characterization of the absorption spectra, dye adsorption on TiO 2 , and electronic couplings for charge separation and recombination permit a systematic determination of the origin of the difference in PCE. Although the two dyes produce similar spectral features, ground- and excited-state density functional theory (DFT) simulations reveal that the dye with the bulkier donor group adsorbs more strongly to TiO 2 , experiences limited π-π aggregation, and is more resistant to loss of excitation energy via charge recombination on the dye. The effects of conformational flexibility on absorption spectra and on the electronic coupling between the bright exciton and charge-transfer states are revealed to be substantial and are characterized through density-functional tight-binding (DFTB) molecular dynamics sampling. These simulations offer a mechanistic explanation for the superior open-circuit voltage and short-circuit current of the bulky-donor dye sensitizer and provide theoretical justification of an important design feature for the pursuit of greater photocurrent efficiency in DSCs. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of interface roughness on Auger recombination in semiconductor quantum wells

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Chee-Keong; Sun, Wei; Wierer, Jonathan J.; Tansu, Nelson

2017-03-01

Auger recombination in a semiconductor is a three-carrier process, wherein the energy from the recombination of an electron and hole pair promotes a third carrier to a higher energy state. In semiconductor quantum wells with increased carrier densities, the Auger recombination becomes an appreciable fraction of the total recombination rate and degrades luminescence efficiency. Gaining insight into the variables that influence Auger recombination in semiconductor quantum wells could lead to further advances in optoelectronic and electronic devices. Here we demonstrate the important role that interface roughness has on Auger recombination within quantum wells. Our computational studies find that as the ratio of interface roughness to quantum well thickness is increased, Auger recombination is significantly enhanced. Specifically, when considering a realistic interface roughness for an InGaN quantum well, the enhancement in Auger recombination rate over a quantum well with perfect heterointerfaces can be approximately four orders of magnitude.

Morphology effects on spin-dependent transport and recombination in polyfluorene thin films

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Richards; van Schooten, K. J.; Malissa, H.; Joshi, G.; Jamali, S.; Lupton, J. M.; Boehme, C.

2016-12-01

We have studied the role of spin-dependent processes on conductivity in polyfluorene (PFO) thin films by preforming continuous wave (cw) electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) spectroscopy at temperatures between 10 K and room temperature using microwave frequencies between about 1 GHz and 20 GHz, as well as pulsed EDMR at the X band (10 GHz). Variable frequency EDMR allows us to establish the role of spin-orbit coupling in spin-dependent processes whereas pulsed EDMR allows for the observation of coherent spin motion effects. We used PFO for this study in order to allow for the investigation of the effects of microscopic morphological ordering since this material can adopt two distinct intrachain morphologies: an amorphous (glassy) phase, in which monomer units are twisted with respect to each other, and an ordered (β) phase, where all monomers lie within one plane. In thin films of organic light-emitting diodes, the appearance of a particular phase can be controlled by deposition parameters and solvent vapor annealing, and is verified by electroluminescence spectroscopy. Under bipolar charge-carrier injection conditions, we conducted multifrequency cw EDMR, electrically detected Rabi spin-beat experiments, and Hahn echo and inversion-recovery measurements. Coherent echo spectroscopy reveals electrically detected electron-spin-echo envelope modulation due to the coupling of the carrier spins to nearby nuclear spins. Our results demonstrate that, while conformational disorder can influence the observed EDMR signals, including the sign of the current changes on resonance as well as the magnitudes of local hyperfine fields and charge-carrier spin-orbit interactions, it does not qualitatively affect the nature of spin-dependent transitions in this material. In both morphologies, we observe the presence of at least two different spin-dependent recombination processes. At room temperature and 10 K, polaron-pair recombination through weakly spin-spin coupled

Modeling of radiation-induced charge trapping in MOS devices under ionizing irradiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Petukhov, M. A., E-mail: m.a.petukhov@gmail.com; Ryazanov, A. I. [National Research Center Kurchatov Institute (Russian Federation)

2016-12-15

The numerical model of the radiation-induced charge trapping process in the oxide layer of a MOS device under ionizing irradiation is developed; the model includes carrier transport, hole capture by traps in different states, recombination of free electrons and trapped holes, kinetics of hydrogen ions which can be accumulated in the material during transistor manufacture, and accumulation and charging of interface states. Modeling of n-channel MOSFET behavior under 1 MeV photon irradiation is performed. The obtained dose dependences of the threshold voltage shift and its contributions from trapped holes and interface states are in good agreement with experimental data.

X-ray spectroscopic measurements of dielectronic recombination of highly charged krypton ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biedermann, C.; Fuchs, T.; Liebisch, P.; Radtke, R.; Behar, E.; Doron, R.

1999-01-01

We have performed X-ray spectroscopic measurements of the dielectronic recombination (DR) resonance strengths for the KLn (n = 2, .., 5) series of He-, Li-, and Be-like krypton ions. The ions were produced with an electron beam ion trap, and the strengths were obtained from a fit procedure that compares the experimental excitation function for DR to theory. The results agree well with the predictions. By looking at the KLL resonance, the time evolution of different krypton charge states was measured with this technique and compared with a model of the trap inventory. (orig.)

Observation of disorder effects on charged carrier mobility in triphenylene-based discotic materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Chunxiu; He, Zhiqun; Mao Huaxiang; Wang Junjie; Wang Dongdong; Wang Yongsheng; Li Zhongxiao; Pu Jialing

2007-01-01

A discotic 2,6,10-trihydroxy-3,7,11-tripentyloxytriphenylene material and a triphenylene-based hyperbranched macromolecule were synthesized, in which the latter was prepared from AB m molecules in a one-pot reaction. Adipic chloride and butyryl chloride were chosen as terminal groups to the 2,6,10-trihydroxy-3,7,11-tripentyloxytriphenylene. Mesophase and their structural orders were determined using a polarized optical microscope and a differential scanning calorimeter. Carrier mobilities of the pure and composite materials were measured via a time-of-flight method. A change in carrier mobility on the morphology of the materials was further discussed. It was found that degree of crystallization was the key for a discotic triphenylene material to possess charge-transporting properties, no matter it is ordered or disordered

Improved edge charge exchange recombination spectroscopy in DIII-D.

Science.gov (United States)

Chrystal, C; Burrell, K H; Grierson, B A; Haskey, S R; Groebner, R J; Kaplan, D H; Briesemeister, A

2016-11-01

The charge exchange recombination spectroscopy diagnostic on the DIII-D tokamak has been upgraded with the addition of more high radial resolution view chords near the edge of the plasma (r/a > 0.8). The additional views are diagnosed with the same number of spectrometers by placing fiber optics side-by-side at the spectrometer entrance with a precise separation that avoids wavelength shifted crosstalk without the use of bandpass filters. The new views improve measurement of edge impurity parameters in steep gradient, H-mode plasmas with many different shapes. The number of edge view chords with 8 mm radial separation has increased from 16 to 38. New fused silica fibers have improved light throughput and clarify the observation of non-Gaussian spectra that suggest the ion distribution function can be non-Maxwellian in low collisionality plasmas.

High-frequency conductivity of optically excited charge carriers in hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon investigated by spectroscopic femtosecond pump–probe reflectivity measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Wei [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Yurkevich, Igor V. [Aston University, Nonlinearity and Complexity Research Group, Birmingham B4 7ET (United Kingdom); Zakar, Ammar [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom); Kaplan, Andrey, E-mail: a.kaplan.1@bham.ac.uk [University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, Birmingham B15 2TT (United Kingdom)

2015-10-01

We report an investigation into the high-frequency conductivity of optically excited charge carriers far from equilibrium with the lattice. The investigated samples consist of hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon films grown on a thin film of silicon oxide on top of a silicon substrate. For the investigation, we used an optical femtosecond pump–probe setup to measure the reflectance change of a probe beam. The pump beam ranged between 580 and 820 nm, whereas the probe wavelength spanned 770 to 810 nm. The pump fluence was fixed at 0.6 mJ/cm{sup 2}. We show that at a fixed delay time of 300 fs, the conductivity of the excited electron–hole plasma is described well by a classical conductivity model of a hot charge carrier gas found at Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution, while Fermi–Dirac statics is not suitable. This is corroborated by values retrieved from pump–probe reflectance measurements of the conductivity and its dependence on the excitation wavelength and carrier temperature. The conductivity decreases monotonically as a function of the excitation wavelength, as expected for a nondegenerate charge carrier gas. - Highlights: • We study high‐frequency conductivity of excited hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon. • Reflectance change was measured as a function of pump and probe wavelength. • Maxwell–Boltzmann transport theory was used to retrieve the conductivity. • The conductivity decreases monotonically as a function of the pump wavelength.

Sub-ns triplet state formation by non-geminate recombination in PSBTBT:PC 70 BM and PCPDTBT:PC 60 BM organic solar cells

KAUST Repository

Etzold, Fabian; Howard, Ian A.; Forler, Nina; Melnyk, Anton; Andrienko, Denis; Hansen, Michael Ryan; Laquai, Fré dé ric

2015-01-01

The solid-state morphology and photo-generated charge carrier dynamics in low-bandgap polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction photovoltaic blends using the donor–acceptor type copolymers PCPDTBT or its silicon-substituted analogue PSBTBT as donors are compared by two-dimensional (2D) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and femto-to microsecond broadband Vis-NIR transient absorption (TA) pump–probe spectroscopy. The 2D solid-state NMR experiments demonstrate that the film morphology of PCPDTBT:PC60BM blends processed with additives such as octanedithiol (ODT) are similar to those of PSBTBT:PC60BM blends in terms of crystallinity, phase segregation, and interfacial contacts. The TA experiments and analysis of the TA data by multivariate curve resolution (MCR) reveal that after exciton dissociation and free charge formation, fast sub-nanosecond non-geminate recombination occurs which leads to a substantial population of the polymer's triplet state. The extent to which triplet states are formed depends on the initial concentration of free charges, which itself is controlled by the microstructure of the blend, especially in case of PCPDTBT:PC60BM. Interestingly, PSBTBT:PC70BM blends show a higher charge generation efficiency, but less triplet state formation at similar free charge carrier concentrations. This indicates that the solid-state morphology and interfacial structures of PSBTBT:PC70BM blends reduces non-geminate recombination, leading to superior device performance compared to optimized PCPDTBT:PC60BM blends.

Sub-ns triplet state formation by non-geminate recombination in PSBTBT:PC 70 BM and PCPDTBT:PC 60 BM organic solar cells

KAUST Repository

Etzold, Fabian

2015-03-02

The solid-state morphology and photo-generated charge carrier dynamics in low-bandgap polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction photovoltaic blends using the donor–acceptor type copolymers PCPDTBT or its silicon-substituted analogue PSBTBT as donors are compared by two-dimensional (2D) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and femto-to microsecond broadband Vis-NIR transient absorption (TA) pump–probe spectroscopy. The 2D solid-state NMR experiments demonstrate that the film morphology of PCPDTBT:PC60BM blends processed with additives such as octanedithiol (ODT) are similar to those of PSBTBT:PC60BM blends in terms of crystallinity, phase segregation, and interfacial contacts. The TA experiments and analysis of the TA data by multivariate curve resolution (MCR) reveal that after exciton dissociation and free charge formation, fast sub-nanosecond non-geminate recombination occurs which leads to a substantial population of the polymer\\'s triplet state. The extent to which triplet states are formed depends on the initial concentration of free charges, which itself is controlled by the microstructure of the blend, especially in case of PCPDTBT:PC60BM. Interestingly, PSBTBT:PC70BM blends show a higher charge generation efficiency, but less triplet state formation at similar free charge carrier concentrations. This indicates that the solid-state morphology and interfacial structures of PSBTBT:PC70BM blends reduces non-geminate recombination, leading to superior device performance compared to optimized PCPDTBT:PC60BM blends.

Electrical Conductivity of Rocks and Dominant Charge Carriers. Part 1; Thermally Activated Positive Holes

Science.gov (United States)

Freund, Friedemann T.; Freund, Minoru M.

2012-01-01

The prevailing view in the geophysics community is that the electrical conductivity structure of the Earth's continental crust over the 5-35 km depth range can best be understood by assuming the presence of intergranular fluids and/or of intragranular carbon films. Based on single crystal studies of melt-grown MgO, magma-derived sanidine and anorthosite feldspars and upper mantle olivine, we present evidence for the presence of electronic charge carriers, which derive from peroxy defects that are introduced during cooling, under non-equilibrium conditions, through a redox conversion of pairs of solute hydroxyl arising from dissolution of H2O.The peroxy defects become thermally activated in a 2-step process, leading to the release of defect electrons in the oxygen anion sublattice. Known as positive holes and symbolized by h(dot), these electronic charge carriers are highly mobile. Chemically equivalent to O(-) in a matrix of O(2-) they are highly oxidizing. Being metastable they can exist in the matrix of minerals, which crystallized in highly reduced environments. The h(dot) are highly mobile. They appear to control the electrical conductivity of crustal rocks in much of the 5-35 km depth range.

Mobility of charge carriers in electron-irradiated crystals of n-type Hg0.8Cd0.2Te

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voitsekhovskii, A.V.; Kiryushkin, E.M.; Kokhanenko, A.P.; Kurbanov, K.R.; Lilenko, Yu.V.

1988-01-01

We present the results of an investigation of the behavior of the mobility of the charge carriers in Hg 1-x Cd x Te crystals with n-type conduction as a function of the dose of irradiation by electrons with an energy of 3.0 MeV at 300 K and the initial content of defects in the material. The complex character of the variation of the mobility of the electrons as a function of the dose observed when crystals of n-Hg 1-x Cd x Te (x ∼ 0.20) with different initial concentrations of defects are irradiated by fast electrons has been attributed to the influence of the factors of the shielding of the ionized scattering centers by electrons and the additional scattering of the charge carriers on the radiation defects. Good agreement between the experimental and calculated plots of the dependence of the mobility of electrons on the irradiation dose has been obtained with consideration of a model of the simultaneous introduction of donor (single charged) and acceptor (doubly charged) defects into a narrow-band semiconductor characterized by a degenerate and nonparabolic conduction band

Charge-exchange recombination spectroscopy measurements of ion temperature and plasma rotation in PBX

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaehnig, K.P.; Fonck, R.J.; Ida, K.; Powell, E.T.

1984-11-01

The primary diagnostic on PBX for ion temperature measurements is charge-exchange recombination spectroscopy of low Z ions, wherein fast neutrals from the heating neutral beams excite spectral lines from highly excited states (n greater than or equal to 4) of hydrogenic 0, C, and He via charge-exchange collisions with the respective fully stripped ions. Since the neutral beams on PBX provide relatively low velocity neutrals (i.e., D 0 beams at 44 keV), the best signals are obtained using the near-uv lines of 0 7+ (e.g., n = 8-7, 2976 A). Off-line analysis of the Doppler broadened and shifted line profiles includes non-linear least squares fitting to a model line profile, while a simplified on-line fast analysis code permits between-shot data analysis

Carbon nanotube charge collectors for nanoimprinted hybrid perovskite photovoltaics (Conference Presentation)

Science.gov (United States)

Zakhidov, Anvar A.; Haroldson, Ross; Saranin, Danila; Martinez, Patricia; Ishteev, Artur

2017-06-01

The hybrid (organo-inorganic) lead-halide perovskites revolutionized the field of solar cell research due to the impressive power conversion efficiencies of up to 21% recently reported in perovskite based solar cells. This talk will present first the general concepts of excitonic photovoltaics, as compared to conventional Si-type solar cells, asking a question: is hybrid perovskite PV an excitonic solar cell or not? Do we need excitons dissociation at D-A interfaces or CNT charge collectors? Then I will show our recent experimental results on the fast spectroscopy of excitons, magnetic field effect on generation of correlated (e-h) pairs. Also will discuss our Hall effect results, that allows to evaluate intrinsic charge carrier transport and direct measurements of mobility in these materials performed for the first time in steady-state dc transport regime. From these measurements, we have obtained the electron-hole recombination coefficient, the carrier diffusion length and lifetime. Our main results include the intrinsic Hall carrier mobility reaching up to 60 cm2V-1s-1 in perovskite single crystals, carrier lifetimes of up to 3 ms (surprisingly too long!), and carrier diffusion lengths as long as 650 μm (huge if compared to organic and even best inorganic materials). Our results also demonstrate that photocarrier recombination in these disordered solution-processed perovskites is as weak as in the best (high-purity single crystals) of conventional direct-band inorganic semiconductors. Moreover, as we show in our experiment, carrier trapping in perovskites is also strongly suppressed, which accounts for such long carrier lifetimes and diffusion lengths, significantly longer than similar parameters in the best inorganic semiconductors, such e.g. as GaAs. All these remarkable transport properties of hybrid perovskites need to be understood from fundamental physics point of view. Looks like we need some new concepts to explain the mysterious properties of

Impact of Various Charge States of Hydrogen on Passivation of Dislocation in Silicon

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lihui; Lou, Jingjing; Fu, Jiayi; Ji, Zhenguo

2018-03-01

Dislocation, one of typical crystallographic defects in silicon, is detrimental to the minority carrier lifetime of silicon wafer. Hydrogen passivation is able to reduce the recombination activity of dislocation, however, the passivation efficacy is strongly dependent on the experimental conditions. In this paper, a model based on the theory of hydrogen charge state control is proposed to explain the passivation efficacy of dislocation correlated to the peak temperature of thermal annealing and illumination intensity. Experimental results support the prediction of the model that a mix of positively charged hydrogen and negatively charged hydrogen at certain ratio can maximise the passivation efficacy of dislocation, leading to a better power conversion efficiency of silicon solar cell with dislocation in it.

Barrier controlled carrier trapping of extended defects in CdZnTe detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Rongrong; Jie, Wanqi; Xu, Yadong; Yu, Hui; Zha, Gangqiang; Wang, Tao; Ren, Jie

2015-01-01

Transient current techniques using alpha particle source were utilized to study the influence of extended defects on the electron drift time and the detector performance of CdZnTe crystals. Different from the case of trapping through isolated point defect, a barrier controlled trapping model was used to explain the mechanism of carrier trapping at the extended defects. The effect of extended defects on the photoconductance was studied by laser beam induced transient current (LBIC) measurement. The results demonstrate that the Schottky-type depletion space charge region is induced at the vicinity of the extended defects, which further distorts the internal electric field distribution and affects the carrier trajectory in CdZnTe crystals. The relationship between the electron drift time and detector performance has been established. - Highlights: • The barrier controlled trapping model was developed around extended defects. • Electron mobility and E-field distribution were distorted by space charge depletion region. • Extended defects act as a recombination-activated region. • The relationships between extended defects and detector performance were established

Detection of non-absorbing charge dynamics via refractive index change in dye-sensitized solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuwahara, Shota; Hata, Hiroaki; Taya, Soichiro; Maeda, Naotaka; Shen, Qing; Toyoda, Taro; Katayama, Kenji

2013-04-28

The carrier dynamics in dye-sensitized solar cells was investigated by using the transient grating, in addition to the transient absorption method and transient photocurrent method on the order of microseconds to seconds. The signals for the same sample were obtained under a short-circuit condition to compare the carrier dynamics via refractive index change with the transient photocurrent measurement. Optically silent carrier dynamics by transient absorption have been successfully observed via a refractive index change. The corresponding signal components were originated from the charge dynamics at the solid/liquid interface, especially on the liquid side; rearrangement or diffusion motion of charged redox species occurred when the injected electrons were trapped at the TiO2 surface and when the electron-electrolyte recombination occurred at the interface. The assignments were confirmed from the dependence on the viscosity of the solvent and the presence of 4-tert-butyl pyridine. As the viscosity of the solvent increased, the rearrangement and the motion of the charged redox species were delayed. Since the rearrangement dynamics was changed by the presence of 4-tert-butyl pyridine, it affected not only the TiO2 surface but also the redox species close to the interface.

Correction: The effect of recombination under short-circuit conditions on the determination of charge transport properties in nanostructured photoelectrodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Villanueva-Cab, J; Anta, J A; Oskam, G

2016-05-28

Correction for 'The effect of recombination under short-circuit conditions on the determination of charge transport properties in nanostructured photoelectrodes' by J. Villanueva-Cab et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 2303-2308.

Origin of interfacial charging in irradiated silicon nitride capacitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hughes, R.C.

1984-01-01

Many experiments show that when metal-silicon nitride-silicon dioxide-silicon (MNOS) devices are irradiated in short circuit, a large interfacial charge builds up near the nitride-SiO 2 -Si interface. This effect cannot be explained by simple models of radiation-induced conductivity of the nitride, but it is reported here that inclusion of carrier diffusion and recombination in the photoconductivity equations can predict the observed behavior. Numerical solutions on a computer are required, however, when these complications are added. The simulations account for the magnitude and radiation dose dependence of the results, as well as the occurrence of a steady state during the irradiation. The location of the excess trapped charge near the interface is also predicted, along with the large number of new traps which must be introduced to influence the steady-state charge distribution

Ultralow surface recombination velocity in InP nanowires probed by terahertz spectroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Joyce, Hannah J; Wong-Leung, Jennifer; Yong, Chaw-Keong; Docherty, Callum J; Paiman, Suriati; Gao, Qiang; Tan, H Hoe; Jagadish, Chennupati; Lloyd-Hughes, James; Herz, Laura M; Johnston, Michael B

2012-10-10

Using transient terahertz photoconductivity measurements, we have made noncontact, room temperature measurements of the ultrafast charge carrier dynamics in InP nanowires. InP nanowires exhibited a very long photoconductivity lifetime of over 1 ns, and carrier lifetimes were remarkably insensitive to surface states despite the large nanowire surface area-to-volume ratio. An exceptionally low surface recombination velocity (170 cm/s) was recorded at room temperature. These results suggest that InP nanowires are prime candidates for optoelectronic devices, particularly photovoltaic devices, without the need for surface passivation. We found that the carrier mobility is not limited by nanowire diameter but is strongly limited by the presence of planar crystallographic defects such as stacking faults in these predominantly wurtzite nanowires. These findings show the great potential of very narrow InP nanowires for electronic devices but indicate that improvements in the crystallographic uniformity of InP nanowires will be critical for future nanowire device engineering.

Side chain engineering of fused aromatic thienopyrazine based low band-gap polymers for enhanced charge carrier mobility

KAUST Repository

Mondal, Rajib

2011-01-01

A strategic side-chain engineering approach leads to the two orders of magnitude enhancement of charge carrier mobility in phenanthrene based fused aromatic thienopyrazine polymers. Hole carrier mobility up to 0.012 cm 2/Vs can be obtained in thin film transistor devices. Polymers were also utilized to fabricate bulk heterojunction photovoltaic devices and the maximum PCE obtained in these OPV\\'s was 1.15%. Most importantly, performances of the devices were correlated with thin morphological analysis performed by atomic force microscopy and grazing incidence X-ray scattering. © 2011 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Theoretical modeling of influence of the structural disorder on the charge carrier mobility in triphenylene stacks

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mikolajczyk, M.; Toman, Petr; Bartkowiak, W.

2010-01-01

Roč. 485, 1-3 (2010), s. 253-257 ISSN 0009-2614 R&D Projects: GA MŠk MEB050815; GA AV ČR IAA401770601 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : triphenylene * charge carrier mobility * tight-binding approximation Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 2.282, year: 2010

Charge separation and carrier dynamics in donor-acceptor heterojunction photovoltaic systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Teuscher, Joël; Brauer, Jan C; Stepanov, Andrey; Solano, Alicia; Boziki, Ariadni; Chergui, Majed; Wolf, Jean-Pierre; Rothlisberger, Ursula; Banerji, Natalie; Moser, Jacques-E

2017-11-01

Electron transfer and subsequent charge separation across donor-acceptor heterojunctions remain the most important areas of study in the field of third-generation photovoltaics. In this context, it is particularly important to unravel the dynamics of individual ultrafast processes (such as photoinduced electron transfer, carrier trapping and association, and energy transfer and relaxation), which prevail in materials and at their interfaces. In the frame of the National Center of Competence in Research "Molecular Ultrafast Science and Technology," a research instrument of the Swiss National Science Foundation, several groups active in the field of ultrafast science in Switzerland have applied a number of complementary experimental techniques and computational simulation tools to scrutinize these critical photophysical phenomena. Structural, electronic, and transport properties of the materials and the detailed mechanisms of photoinduced charge separation in dye-sensitized solar cells, conjugated polymer- and small molecule-based organic photovoltaics, and high-efficiency lead halide perovskite solar energy converters have been scrutinized. Results yielded more than thirty research articles, an overview of which is provided here.

Charge separation and carrier dynamics in donor-acceptor heterojunction photovoltaic systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joël Teuscher

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Electron transfer and subsequent charge separation across donor-acceptor heterojunctions remain the most important areas of study in the field of third-generation photovoltaics. In this context, it is particularly important to unravel the dynamics of individual ultrafast processes (such as photoinduced electron transfer, carrier trapping and association, and energy transfer and relaxation, which prevail in materials and at their interfaces. In the frame of the National Center of Competence in Research “Molecular Ultrafast Science and Technology,” a research instrument of the Swiss National Science Foundation, several groups active in the field of ultrafast science in Switzerland have applied a number of complementary experimental techniques and computational simulation tools to scrutinize these critical photophysical phenomena. Structural, electronic, and transport properties of the materials and the detailed mechanisms of photoinduced charge separation in dye-sensitized solar cells, conjugated polymer- and small molecule-based organic photovoltaics, and high-efficiency lead halide perovskite solar energy converters have been scrutinized. Results yielded more than thirty research articles, an overview of which is provided here.

Efficient charge carriers induced by extra outer-shell electrons in iron-pnictides: a comparison between Ni- and Co-doped CaFeAsF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang Min; Yu Yi; Tan Shun; Zhang Yuheng; Zhang Changjin; Zhang Lei; Qu Zhe; Ling Langsheng; Xi, Chuanying

2010-01-01

A comprehensive study of the difference between CaFe 1-x Ni x AsF and CaFe 1-x Co x AsF systems has been carried out by measuring the efficient charge carrier concentration, the valence states and the superconducting phase diagram. It is found that at the same doping level, Ni doping introduces nearly twice the number of charge carriers as Co doping. However, x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy measurements reveal that the valence state of Fe in both systems is close to 2, indicating that there is no valence mismatch. We suggest that the charge carriers in CaFe 1-x M x AsF (M=transition metal elements) are not induced by valence mismatch but come from the difference in the number of outer-shell electrons. We also suggest that with Ni and Co doping, the systems change from a multi-band material in the underdoped regions to a single-band state in the overdoped regions.

Diffusion-driven and excitation-dependent recombination rate in blue InGaN/GaN quantum well structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleksiejūnas, R.; Gelžinytė, K.; Nargelas, S.; Jarašiūnas, K.; Vengris, M.; Armour, E. A.; Byrnes, D. P.; Arif, R. A.; Lee, S. M.; Papasouliotis, G. D.

2014-01-01

We report on diffusion-driven and excitation-dependent carrier recombination rate in multiple InGaN/GaN quantum wells by using photoluminescence, light-induced absorption, and diffraction techniques. We demonstrate gradually increasing with excitation carrier diffusivity and its correlation with the recombination rate. At low carrier densities, an increase in radiative emission and carrier lifetime was observed due to partial saturation of non-radiative recombination centers. However, at carrier densities above ∼5 × 10 18  cm −3 , a typical value of photoluminescence efficiency droop, a further increase of diffusivity forces the delocalized carriers to face higher number of fast non-radiative recombination centers leading to an increase of non-radiative losses

Diffusion-driven and excitation-dependent recombination rate in blue InGaN/GaN quantum well structures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aleksiejūnas, R.; Gelžinytė, K.; Nargelas, S., E-mail: saulius.nargelas@ff.vu.lt; Jarašiūnas, K. [Department of Semiconductor Optoelectronics, Institute of Applied Research, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio 9–III, 10222 Vilnius (Lithuania); Vengris, M. [Laser Research Center, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio 10, 10223 Vilnius (Lithuania); Armour, E. A.; Byrnes, D. P.; Arif, R. A.; Lee, S. M.; Papasouliotis, G. D. [Veeco Instruments, Turbodisc Operations, 394 Elizabeth Avenue, Somerset, New Jersey 08873 (United States)

2014-01-13

We report on diffusion-driven and excitation-dependent carrier recombination rate in multiple InGaN/GaN quantum wells by using photoluminescence, light-induced absorption, and diffraction techniques. We demonstrate gradually increasing with excitation carrier diffusivity and its correlation with the recombination rate. At low carrier densities, an increase in radiative emission and carrier lifetime was observed due to partial saturation of non-radiative recombination centers. However, at carrier densities above ∼5 × 10{sup 18} cm{sup −3}, a typical value of photoluminescence efficiency droop, a further increase of diffusivity forces the delocalized carriers to face higher number of fast non-radiative recombination centers leading to an increase of non-radiative losses.

On the definition of dielectric permittivity for media with temporal dispersion in the presence of free charge carriers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bordag, M; Geyer, B; Klimchitskaya, G L; Mostepanenko, V M

2010-01-01

We show that in the presence of free charge carriers the definition of the frequency-dependent dielectric permittivity requires additional regularization. As an example, the dielectric permittivity of the Drude model is considered and its time-dependent counterpart is derived and analyzed. The respective electric displacement cannot be represented in terms of the standard Fourier integral. The regularization procedure allowing the circumvention of these difficulties is suggested. For the purpose of comparison it is shown that the frequency-dependent dielectric permittivity of insulators satisfies all rigorous mathematical criteria. This permits us to conclude that in the presence of free charge carriers the concept of dielectric permittivity is not as well defined as for insulators and we make a link to widely discussed puzzles in the theory of thermal Casimir force which might be caused by the use of this kind of permittivities.

On the definition of dielectric permittivity for media with temporal dispersion in the presence of free charge carriers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bordag, M; Geyer, B; Klimchitskaya, G L; Mostepanenko, V M [Institute for Theoretical Physics, Leipzig University, Postfach 100920, D-04009, Leipzig (Germany)

2010-01-08

We show that in the presence of free charge carriers the definition of the frequency-dependent dielectric permittivity requires additional regularization. As an example, the dielectric permittivity of the Drude model is considered and its time-dependent counterpart is derived and analyzed. The respective electric displacement cannot be represented in terms of the standard Fourier integral. The regularization procedure allowing the circumvention of these difficulties is suggested. For the purpose of comparison it is shown that the frequency-dependent dielectric permittivity of insulators satisfies all rigorous mathematical criteria. This permits us to conclude that in the presence of free charge carriers the concept of dielectric permittivity is not as well defined as for insulators and we make a link to widely discussed puzzles in the theory of thermal Casimir force which might be caused by the use of this kind of permittivities.

Polarization effects in radiative recombination of an electron with a highly charged ion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klasnikov, A.E.; Shabaev, V.M.; Artemyev, A.N.; Kovtun, A.V.; Stoehlker, T.

2005-01-01

The radiative recombination of an unpolarized electron with a polarized highly charged H-like ion in its ground state is studied. The absolute and relative values of the electron spin-flip contribution to the cross section of the process for various scattering angles and photon polarizations are calculated. It is shown that, in addition to the forward and backward directions, there are some other scattering angles of the emitted photon, where, at a fixed linear photon polarization, the spin-flip transition gives a dominant contribution to the differential cross section

Ultrafast exciton decay in PbS quantum dots through simultaneous electron and hole recombination with a surface-localized ion pair

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Edme, Kedy; Bettis Homan, Stephanie; Nepomnyashchii, Alexander B.; Weiss, Emily A., E-mail: e-weiss@northwestern.edu

2016-06-01

Highlights: • We synthesize complexes of PbS quantum dots (QDs) and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). Each PbS QD spontaneously reduces up to 17 TCNQ molecules. • The photoluminescence of the PbS QDs is quenched in the presence of the reduced TCNQ species through ultrafast non-radiative, simultaneous decay of the electron and hole. • We assign this decay to a four-carrier, concerted charge recombination mechanism with the surface localized sulfur–TCNQ{sup x−} ion pair. - Abstract: This paper describes the ultrafast decay of the band-edge exciton in PbS quantum dots (QDs) through simultaneous recombination of the excitonic hole and electron with the surface localized ion pair formed upon adsorption of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ). Each PbS QD (R = 1.8 nm) spontaneously reduces up to 17 TCNQ molecules upon adsorption of the TCNQ molecule to a sulfur on the QD surface. The photoluminescence of the PbS QDs is quenched in the presence of the reduced TCNQ species through ultrafast (⩽15-ps) non-radiative decay of the exciton; the rate constant for the decay process increases approximately linearly with the number of adsorbed, reduced TCNQ molecules. Near-infrared and mid-infrared transient absorption show that this decay occurs through simultaneous transfer of the excitonic electron and hole, and is assigned to a four-carrier, concerted charge recombination mechanism based on the observations that (i) the PL of the QDs recovers when spontaneously reduced TCNQ{sup 1−} desorbs from the QD surface upon addition of salt, and (ii) the PL of the QDs is preserved when another spontaneous oxidant, ferrocinium, which cannot participate in charge transfer in its reduced state, is substituted for TCNQ.

Large impact of reorganization energy on photovoltaic conversion due to interfacial charge-transfer transitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujisawa, Jun-ichi

2015-05-14

Interfacial charge-transfer (ICT) transitions are expected to be a novel charge-separation mechanism for efficient photovoltaic conversion featuring one-step charge separation without energy loss. Photovoltaic conversion due to ICT transitions has been investigated using several TiO2-organic hybrid materials that show organic-to-inorganic ICT transitions in the visible region. In applications of ICT transitions to photovoltaic conversion, there is a significant problem that rapid carrier recombination is caused by organic-inorganic electronic coupling that is necessary for the ICT transitions. In order to solve this problem, in this work, I have theoretically studied light-to-current conversions due to the ICT transitions on the basis of the Marcus theory with density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) calculations. An apparent correlation between the reported incident photon-to-current conversion efficiencies (IPCE) and calculated reorganization energies was clearly found, in which the IPCE increases with decreasing the reorganization energy consistent with the Marcus theory in the inverted region. This activation-energy dependence was systematically explained by the equation formulated by the Marcus theory based on a simple excited-state kinetic scheme. This result indicates that the reduction of the reorganization energy can suppress the carrier recombination and enhance the IPCE. The reorganization energy is predominantly governed by the structural change in the chemical-adsorption moiety between the ground and ICT excited states. This work provides crucial knowledge for efficient photovoltaic conversion due to ICT transitions.

Behaviour of Charge Carriers in As-Deposited and Annealed Undoped TCO Films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Yan-Wen; Wu Fa-Yu; Zheng Chun-Yan

2011-01-01

We examine the structures, cut-off points of transmittance spectra and electric properties of undoped ZnO, SnO 2 and CdO films by scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, spectrophotometer and Hall-effect measurements, respectively. The films are deposited by using an rf magnetron sputtering system from powder targets in argon and then annealed in vacuum. The structures and properties of the as-deposited films are compared with those of the annealed one. We try to explain the behaviour of charge carriers based on the semiconductor physics theory. (condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties)

Recombiner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kikuchi, Nobuo.

1983-01-01

Purpose: To shorten the pre-heating time for a recombiner and obtain a uniform temperature distribution for the charged catalyst layer in a BWR type reactor. Constitution: A pre-heating heater is disposed to the outer periphery of a vessel for a recombiner packed with catalysts for recombining hydrogen and oxygen in gases flowing through a radioactive gaseous wastes processing system. Heat pipes for transmitting the heat applied to said container to the catalyst are disposed vertically and horizontally within the container. Different length of the heat pipes are combined. In this way, pre-heating time for the recombiner before the operation start and before the system switching can be shortened and the uniform pre-heating for the inside of the recombiner is also made possible. Further, heater control in the pre-heating can be carried out effectively and with ease. (Moriyama, K.)

Unravelling charge carrier dynamics in protonated g-C3N4 interfaced with carbon nanodots as co-catalysts toward enhanced photocatalytic CO2 reduction: A combined experimental and first-principles DFT study

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

Wee-Jun Ong; Lutfi Kurnianditia Putri; Yoong-Chuen Tan; Lling-Lling Tan; Neng Li; Yun Hau Ng; Xiaoming Wen; Siang-Piao Chai

2017-01-01

In this work,we demonstrated the successful construction of metal-free zerodimensional/two-dimensional carbon nanodot (CND)-hybridized protonated g-C3N4 (pCN) (CND/pCN) heterojunction photocatalysts by means of electrostatic attraction.We experimentally found that CNDs with an average diameter of 4.4 nm were uniformly distributed on the surface of pCN using electron microscopy analysis.The CND/pCN-3 sample with a CND content of 3 wt.％ showed the highest catalytic activity in the CO2 photoreduction process under visible and simulated solar light.Thisprocess results in the evolution of CH4 and CO.The total amounts of CH4 and CO generated by the CND/pCN-3 photocatalyst after 10 h of visible-light activity were found to be 29.23 and 58.82 μmol·gcatalyst-1,respectively.These values were 3.6 and 2.28 times higher,respectively,than the amounts generated when using pCN alone.The corresponding apparent quantum efficiency (AQE) was calculated to be 0.076％.Furthermore,the CND/pCN-3 sample demonstrated high stability and durability after four consecutive photoreaction cycles,with no significant decrease in the catalytic activity.The significant improvement in the photoactivity using CND/pCN-3 was attributed to the synergistic interaction between pCN and CNDs.This synergy allows the effective migration of photoexcited electrons from pCN to CNDs via wellcontacted heterojunction interfaces,which retards the charge recombination.This was confirmed by photoelectrochemical measurements,and steady-state and time-resolved photoluminescence analyses.The first-principles density functional theory (DFT) calculations were consistent with our experimental results,and showed that the work function of CNDs (5.56 eV) was larger than that of pCN (4.66 eV).This suggests that the efficient shuttling of electrons from the conduction band of pCN to CNDs hampers the recombination of electron-hole pairs.This significantly increased the probability of free charge carriers reducing CO2 to CH4

Determination of space charge region width and diffusion length in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se)2 absorber from solar cell spectral characteristic

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tivanov, M.; Mazanik, A.; Drozdov, N.; Zaretskaya, E.

2010-01-01

Full text : The space-charge region width and diffusion length of minority charge carriers in the base region (Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 absorber) are the most important parameters of the solar cell. These parameters determine the efficiency of a solar cell therefore the problem of their control is essential. In this work it is present simple non-destructive method of extracting the parameters of Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 -based solar cell (space-charge region width and diffusion length of minority charge carriers in Cu(In,Ga)(S,Se) 2 absorber) from the analysis of solar cell spectral photoresponse. The method is based on one-dimensional model of a solar cell and on the change of in-depth distribution of the photogenerated carriers in the solar cell and, hence, on the change of its photoresponse with the wave-length variation. The following assumptions are accepted: the reflection of charge carriers from a back contact and the ''drawing'' field in the quasi-neutral area of the absorber layers are absent, window and buffer layers are transparent in the analyzed part of photoresponse spectrum, the injection level of minority charge carriers is low, the recombination losses at the metallurgical p-n-junction interface of the studied photosensitive structure linearly depend on the photocurrent density. For the calculation it is necessary to obtain the following set of the experimental data: the spectral density of incident radiation, the spectral dependence of photocurrent or photovoltage of the studied photosensitive structure, the spectral dependences of optical absorption coefficient and reflectance.

i-CELIV technique for investigation of charge carriers transport properties

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Važgėla, J., E-mail: julius.vazgela@ff.vu.lt; Genevičius, K.; Juška, G.

2016-10-20

The extraction of the injected charge carriers by linearly increasing voltage (i-CELIV) is a promising method for separate analysis of the holes and electrons transport properties in the bulk heterojunction layers. We are demonstrating how to establish the mobility dependence on the electric field and obtain more precise results by performing corrections in transit time by this technique. [6,6]-Phenyl C61 butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and poly[2,6-(4,4-bis-(2-ethylhexyl)-4H-cyclopenta [2,1-b;3,4-b′]dithiophene)-alt-4,7(2,1,3-benzothiadiazole)] (PCPDTBT) bulk heterojunctions with different blend ratios were experimentally tested with i-CELIV method. The hole and electron mobilities were found to be heavily imbalanced in the optimised 3:1 PCBM:PCPDTBT bulk heterojunction.

Photogeneration and decay of charge carriers in hybrid bulk heterojunctions of ZnO nanoparticles and conjugated polymers

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Quist, P.A.C.; Beek, W.J.E.; Wienk, M.M.; Janssen, R.A.J.; Savenije, T.J.; Siebbeles, L.D.A.

2006-01-01

The photogeneration and decay of charge carriers in blend films of ZnO nanoparticles (diam. 5 nm) and poly[2-methoxy-5-(3',7'-dimethyloctyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MDMO-PPV) or poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) were studied by means of microwave-photoconductance measurements. Excitation of the

Exciton-Dissociation and Charge-Recombination Processes in Pentacene/C 60 Solar Cells: Theoretical Insight into the Impact of Interface Geometry

KAUST Repository

Yi, Yuanping; Coropceanu, Veaceslav; Brédas, Jean-Luc

2009-01-01

The exciton-dissociation and charge-recombination processes in organic solar cells based on pentacene/C60 heterojunctions are investigated by means of quantum-mechanical calculations. The electronic couplings and the rates of exciton dissociation

Electron Impact Excitation and Dielectronic Recombination of Highly Charged Tungsten Ions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhongwen Wu

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Electron impact excitation (EIE and dielectronic recombination (DR of tungsten ions are basic atomic processes in nuclear fusion plasmas of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER tokamak. Detailed investigation of such processes is essential for modeling and diagnosing future fusion experiments performed on the ITER. In the present work, we studied total and partial electron-impact excitation (EIE and DR cross-sections of highly charged tungsten ions by using the multiconfiguration Dirac–Fock method. The degrees of linear polarization of the subsequent X-ray emissions from unequally-populated magnetic sub-levels of these ions were estimated. It is found that the degrees of linear polarization of the same transition lines, but populated respectively by the EIE and DR processes, are very different, which makes diagnosis of the formation mechanism of X-ray emissions possible. In addition, with the help of the flexible atomic code on the basis of the relativistic configuration interaction method, DR rate coefficients of highly charged W37+ to W46+ ions are also studied, because of the importance in the ionization equilibrium of tungsten plasmas under running conditions of the ITER.

Designing thiophene-based azomethine oligomers with tailored properties: Self-assembly and charge carrier mobility

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kiriy, N.; Bocharova, V.; Kiriy, A.

2004-01-01

This paper describes synthesis and characterization of two thiophene-based azomethines designed to optimize solubility, self-assembly, and charge carrier mobility. We found that incorporation of azomethine and amide moieties in the alpha,omega-position, and hexyl chains in the beta-position of th...... with the mobilities of the best organic semiconductors. All these significant differences in properties of related compounds can be attributed to the hydrogen bonding between QT-amide molecules responsible for the observed self-assembly....

GaInN quantum well design and measurement conditions affecting the emission energy S-shape

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Netzel, Carsten; Hatami, Soheil; Hoffmann, Veit; Knauer, Arne; Weyers, Markus [Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Wernicke, Tim; Kneissl, Michael [Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut fuer Hoechstfrequenztechnik, Gustav-Kirchhoff-Strasse 4, 12489 Berlin (Germany); Institut fuer Festkoerperphysik, Technische Universitaet Berlin, Hardenbergstrasse 36, 10623 Berlin (Germany)

2011-07-15

Polarization fields and charge carrier localization are the dominant factors defining the radiative recombination processes in the quantum wells of most AlGaInN-based optoelectronic devices. Both factors determine emission energy, emission line width, recombination times, and internal quantum efficiency. For a deeper understanding of the charge carrier recombination processes, we have performed temperature and excitation power dependent photoluminescence experiments on epitaxially grown GaInN structures to study the S-shape of the temperature dependent emission energy. The S-shape behaviour in GaInN quantum wells (QWs) is dominated by the temperature dependence of the charge carrier localization. However, in polar QWs it is strongly affected by the charge carrier density which screens the piezoelectric field. External applied fields change the observable S-shape characteristic significantly. Semi- and nonpolar GaInN QWs feature an S-shape behaviour which points to much stronger charge carrier localization compared to polar QWs. (copyright 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Charge Transport in Spiro-OMeTAD Investigated through Space-Charge-Limited Current Measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Röhr, Jason A.; Shi, Xingyuan; Haque, Saif A.; Kirchartz, Thomas; Nelson, Jenny

2018-04-01

Extracting charge-carrier mobilities for organic semiconductors from space-charge-limited conduction measurements is complicated in practice by nonideal factors such as trapping in defects and injection barriers. Here, we show that by allowing the bandlike charge-carrier mobility, trap characteristics, injection barrier heights, and the shunt resistance to vary in a multiple-trapping drift-diffusion model, a numerical fit can be obtained to the entire current density-voltage curve from experimental space-charge-limited current measurements on both symmetric and asymmetric 2 ,2',7 ,7' -tetrakis(N ,N -di-4-methoxyphenylamine)-9 ,9' -spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD) single-carrier devices. This approach yields a bandlike mobility that is more than an order of magnitude higher than the effective mobility obtained using analytical approximations, such as the Mott-Gurney law and the moving-electrode equation. It is also shown that where these analytical approximations require a temperature-dependent effective mobility to achieve fits, the numerical model can yield a temperature-, electric-field-, and charge-carrier-density-independent mobility. Finally, we present an analytical model describing trap-limited current flow through a semiconductor in a symmetric single-carrier device. We compare the obtained charge-carrier mobility and trap characteristics from this analytical model to the results from the numerical model, showing excellent agreement. This work shows the importance of accounting for traps and injection barriers explicitly when analyzing current density-voltage curves from space-charge-limited current measurements.

Top-gate dielectric induced doping and scattering of charge carriers in epitaxial graphene

Science.gov (United States)

Puls, Conor P.; Staley, Neal E.; Moon, Jeong-Sun; Robinson, Joshua A.; Campbell, Paul M.; Tedesco, Joseph L.; Myers-Ward, Rachael L.; Eddy, Charles R.; Gaskill, D. Kurt; Liu, Ying

2011-07-01

We show that an e-gun deposited dielectric impose severe limits on epitaxial graphene-based device performance based on Raman spectroscopy and low-temperature transport measurements. Specifically, we show from studies of epitaxial graphene Hall bars covered by SiO2 that the measured carrier density is strongly inhomogenous and predominantly induced by charged impurities at the grapheme/dielectric interface that limit mobility via Coulomb interactions. Our work emphasizes that material integration of epitaxial graphene and a gate dielectric is the next major road block towards the realization of graphene-based electronics.

Ballistic charge carrier transmission through graphene multi-barrier structures in uniform magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zubarev, A; Dragoman, D

2014-01-01

We investigate charge carrier transport in graphene multi-barrier structures placed in a uniform magnetic field. The transmission coefficient is found analytically by generalizing the transfer matrix method for the case of graphene regions subjected to a uniform magnetic field. The transmission coefficient through the structure can be modulated by varying the gate voltages, the magnetic field and/or the width of the gated regions. Such a configuration could be used in multiple-valued logic circuits, since it has several output states with discrete and easily selectable transmission/current values. (paper)

Modelling of charge carrier mobility for transport between elastic polyacetylene-like polymer nanorods

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Menšík, Miroslav; Sun, S. J.; Toman, Petr; Král, Karel

2017-01-01

Roč. 61, č. 2 (2017), s. 127-135 ISSN 0862-5468 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LD14011; GA ČR(CZ) GA15-05095S Grant - others:European Commission(XE) COST Action MP1202 HINT; AV ČR(CZ) KONNECT-007 Program:Bilaterální spolupráce Institutional support: RVO:61389013 ; RVO:68378271 Keywords : charge carrier mobility * polymers * electron-phonon coupling Subject RIV: CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry; CF - Physical ; Theoretical Chemistry (FZU-D) OBOR OECD: Physical chemistry; Physical chemistry (FZU-D) Impact factor: 0.439, year: 2016

Modulating Excitonic Recombination Effects through One-Step Synthesis of Perovskite Nanoparticles for Light-Emitting Diodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulkarni, Sneha A; Muduli, Subas; Xing, Guichuan; Yantara, Natalia; Li, Mingjie; Chen, Shi; Sum, Tze Chien; Mathews, Nripan; White, Tim J; Mhaisalkar, Subodh G

2017-10-09

The primary advantages of halide perovskites for light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are solution processability, direct band gap, good charge-carrier diffusion lengths, low trap density, and reasonable carrier mobility. The luminescence in 3 D halide perovskite thin films originates from free electron-hole bimolecular recombination. However, the slow bimolecular recombination rate is a fundamental performance limitation. Perovskite nanoparticles could result in improved performance but processability and cumbersome synthetic procedures remain challenges. Herein, these constraints are overcome by tailoring the 3 D perovskite as a near monodisperse nanoparticle film prepared through a one-step in situ deposition method. Replacing methyl ammonium bromide (CH 3 NH 3 Br, MABr) partially by octyl ammonium bromide [CH 3 (CH 2 ) 7 NH 3 Br, OABr] in defined mole ratios in the perovskite precursor proved crucial for the nanoparticle formation. Films consisting of the in situ formed nanoparticles displayed signatures associated with excitonic recombination, rather than that of bimolecular recombination associated with 3 D perovskites. This transition was accompanied by enhanced photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY≈20.5 % vs. 3.40 %). Perovskite LEDs fabricated from the nanoparticle films exhibit a one order of magnitude improvement in current efficiency and doubling in luminance efficiency. The material processing systematics derived from this study provides the means to control perovskite morphologies through the selection and mixing of appropriate additives. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electron-ion recombination in merged beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wolf, A.; Habs, D.; Lampert, A.; Neumann, R.; Schramm, U.; Schuessler, T.; Schwalm, D.

1993-01-01

Detailed studies of recombination processes between electrons and highly charged ions have become possible by recent improvements of merged-beams experiments. We discuss in particular measurements with stored cooled ion beams at the Test Storage Ring (TSR) in Heidelberg. The cross section of dielectronic recombination was measured with high energy resolution for few-electron systems up to the nuclear charge of Cu at a relative energy up to 2.6 keV. At low energy (∼0.1 eV) total recombination rates of several ions were measured and compared with calculated radiative recombination rates. Laser-stimulated recombination of protons and of C 6+ ions was investigated as a function of the photon energy using visible radiation. Both the total recombination rates and the stimulated recombination spectra indicate that in spite of the short interaction time in merged beams, also collisional capture of electrons into weakly bound levels (related to three-body recombination) could be important

Impact of Interface States and Bulk Carrier Lifetime on Photocapacitance of Metal/Insulator/GaN Structure for Ultraviolet Light Detection

Science.gov (United States)

Bidzinski, Piotr; Miczek, Marcin; Adamowicz, Boguslawa; Mizue, Chihoko; Hashizume, Tamotsu

2011-04-01

The influence of interface state density and bulk carrier lifetime on the dependencies of photocapacitance versus wide range of gate bias (-0.1 to -3 V) and light intensity (109 to 1020 photon cm-2 s-1) was studied for metal/insulator/n-GaN UV light photodetector by means of numerical simulations. The light detection limit and photocapacitance saturation were analyzed in terms of the interface charge and interface Fermi level for electrons and holes and effective interface recombination velocity. It was proven that the excess carrier recombination through interface states is the main reason of photocapacitance signal quenching. It was found that the photodetector can work in various modes (on-off or quantitative light measurement) adjusted by the gate bias. A comparison between experimental data and theoretical capacitance-light intensity characteristics was made. A new method for the determination of the interface state density distribution from capacitance-voltage-light intensity measurements was also proposed.

Positively Charged Nanostructured Lipid Carriers and Their Effect on the Dissolution of Poorly Soluble Drugs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyeong-Ok Choi

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to develop suitable formulations to improve the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs. We selected lipid-based formulation as a drug carrier and modified the surface using positively charged chitosan derivative (HTCC to increase its water solubility and bioavailability. Chitosan and HTCC-coated lipid particles had higher zeta-potential values than uncoated one over the whole pH ranges and improved encapsulation efficiency. In vitro drug release showed that all NLC formulations showed higher in vitro release efficiency than drug particle at pH 7.4. Furthermore, NLC formulation prepared with chitosan or HTCC represented good sustained release property. The results indicate that chitosan and HTCC can be excellent formulating excipients of lipid-based delivery carrier for improving poorly water soluble drug delivery.

Positively Charged Nanostructured Lipid Carriers and Their Effect on the Dissolution of Poorly Soluble Drugs.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Kyeong-Ok; Choe, Jaehyeog; Suh, Seokjin; Ko, Sanghoon

2016-05-20

The objective of this study is to develop suitable formulations to improve the dissolution rate of poorly water soluble drugs. We selected lipid-based formulation as a drug carrier and modified the surface using positively charged chitosan derivative (HTCC) to increase its water solubility and bioavailability. Chitosan and HTCC-coated lipid particles had higher zeta-potential values than uncoated one over the whole pH ranges and improved encapsulation efficiency. In vitro drug release showed that all NLC formulations showed higher in vitro release efficiency than drug particle at pH 7.4. Furthermore, NLC formulation prepared with chitosan or HTCC represented good sustained release property. The results indicate that chitosan and HTCC can be excellent formulating excipients of lipid-based delivery carrier for improving poorly water soluble drug delivery.

Drift of charge carriers in crystalline organic semiconductors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dong, Jingjuan; Si, Wei [State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Wu, Chang-Qin, E-mail: cqw@fudan.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Surface Physics and Department of Physics, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433 (China)

2016-04-14

We investigate the direct-current response of crystalline organic semiconductors in the presence of finite external electric fields by the quantum-classical Ehrenfest dynamics complemented with instantaneous decoherence corrections (IDC). The IDC is carried out in the real-space representation with the energy-dependent reweighing factors to account for both intermolecular decoherence and energy relaxation by which conduction occurs. In this way, both the diffusion and drift motion of charge carriers are described in a unified framework. Based on an off-diagonal electron-phonon coupling model for pentacene, we find that the drift velocity initially increases with the electric field and then decreases at higher fields due to the Wannier-Stark localization, and a negative electric-field dependence of mobility is observed. The Einstein relation, which is a manifestation of the fluctuation-dissipation theorem, is found to be restored in electric fields up to ∼10{sup 5} V/cm for a wide temperature region studied. Furthermore, we show that the incorporated decoherence and energy relaxation could explain the large discrepancy between the mobilities calculated by the Ehrenfest dynamics and the full quantum methods, which proves the effectiveness of our approach to take back these missing processes.

A fast charge coupled device detector for charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on the DIII-D Tokamak

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomas, D.M.; Burrell, K.H.; Groebner, R.J.; Gohil, P.; Kaplan, D.; Makariou, C.; Seraydarian, R.P.

1997-01-01

Charge exchange recombination (CER) spectroscopy has become a standard diagnostic for Tokamaks. CER measurements have been used to determine spatially and temporally resolved ion temperature, toroidal and poloidal ion rotation speed, impurity density, and radial electric field. Knowledge of the spatial profile and temporal evolution of the electric field shear in the plasma edge is crucial to understanding the physics of the L to H transition. High speed CER measurements are also valuable for edge localized mode studies. Since the 0.52 ms minimum time resolution of our present system is barely adequate to study the time evolution of these phenomena, we have developed a new charge coupled device (CCD) detector system with about a factor of 2 better time resolution. In addition, our existing system detects sufficient photons to utilize the shortest time resolution only under exceptional conditions. The new CCD detector has a quantum efficiency of about 0.65, which is a factor of 7 better than our previous image intensifier-silicon photodiode detector systems. We have also equipped the new system with spectrometers of lower f/number. This combination should allow more routine operation at the minimum integration time, as well as improving data quality for measurements in the divertor-relevant region outside of the separatrix. Construction details, benchmark data, and initial Tokamak measurements for the new system will be presented. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Spiro-OMeTAD single crystals: Remarkably enhanced charge-carrier transport via mesoscale ordering

KAUST Repository

Shi, Dong

2016-04-15

We report the crystal structure and hole-transport mechanism in spiro-OMeTAD [2,2′,7,7′-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)9,9′-spirobifluorene], the dominant hole-transporting material in perovskite and solid-state dye-sensitized solar cells. Despite spiro-OMeTAD’s paramount role in such devices, its crystal structure was unknown because of highly disordered solution-processed films; the hole-transport pathways remained ill-defined and the charge carrier mobilities were low, posing a major bottleneck for advancing cell efficiencies. We devised an antisolvent crystallization strategy to grow single crystals of spiro-OMeTAD, which allowed us to experimentally elucidate its molecular packing and transport properties. Electronic structure calculations enabled us to map spiro-OMeTAD’s intermolecular charge-hopping pathways. Promisingly, single-crystal mobilities were found to exceed their thin-film counterparts by three orders of magnitude. Our findings underscore mesoscale ordering as a key strategy to achieving breakthroughs in hole-transport material engineering of solar cells.

Influences of bulk and surface recombinations on the power conversion efficiency of perovskite solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xie, Ziang; Sun, Shuren; Yan, Yu; Wang, Wei; Qin, Laixiang; Qin, G G

2016-01-01

For a novel kind of solar cell (SC) material, it is critical to estimate how far the power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of the SCs made of it can go. In 2010 Han and Chen proposed the equation for the ultimate efficiency of SCs without considering the carrier recombination η un . η un is capable of estimating the theoretical upper limits of the SC efficiencies and has attracted much attention. However, carrier recombination, which is one of the key factors influencing the PCEs of the SCs, is ignored in the equation for η un . In this paper, we develop a novel equation to calculate the ultimate efficiency for the SCs, η ur , which considers both the bulk and the surface carrier recombinations. The novel equation for η ur can estimate how much the bulk and the surface carrier recombinations influence the PCEs of the SCs. Moreover, with η ur we can estimate how much PCE improvement space can be gained only by reducing the influence of the carrier recombination to the least. The perovskite organometal trihalide SCs have attracted tremendous attention lately. For the planar CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 SCs, in the material depth range from 31.25–2000 nm, we apply the equation of η ur to investigate how the bulk and the surface carrier recombinations affect PCE. From a typically reported PCE of 15% for the planar CH 3 NH 3 PbI 3 SC, using the equation of η ur , it is concluded that by reducing the influence of carrier recombination to the least the improvement of PCE is in the range of 17–30%. (paper)

A study on the Fusion Reactor - Development of charge exchange recombination spectroscopy for tokamak diagnostics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Tong Nyong; Kim, Dong Eon; Kim, Dae Sung; Kim, Seong Ho [Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang (Korea, Republic of)

1996-09-01

This project has been carried to train people and accumulate the knowledge and techniques related to the measurement of the profiles of ion temperature, toroidal rotation velocity, and fully-stripped ion density in a fusion tokamak plasma by the development of plasma diagnostics using charge exchange recombination (CER) spectroscopy. Daring the 1 st year, the basic study and review on the charge exchange process and the conceptual design and review of the diagnostics have been conducted. In addition, the various atomic data centers around the world have been surveyed and atomic data related to CER have been constructed. The results of this project can be used to the construction and tokamak machine installation of a CER plasma diagnostic to a new superconducting supported by National Fusion Program. 42 refs., 3 tabs., 16 figs. (author)

A possibility for generation of two species of charge carriers along main-chain and side-chains for a π-conjugated polymer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kudo, Yuki; Kawabata, Kohsuke; Goto, Hiromasa

2013-01-01

Iodide doping produces charge carriers in π-conjugated polymers. Solitons can be generated in the case of polyacetylene, and polarons in the case of aromatic-type conjugated polymers. We synthesized a conjugated main-chain/side-chain polymer, which consists of polyene in the main-chain and aromatic-type conjugated units in the side-chains. Based on the SSH (Su, Schrieffer, Heeger) theoretical model of solitons in one-dimensional conjugated polymers, we experimentally carried out chemical doping to the main-chain/side-chains conjugated polymer. Generation of the charge carriers was examined by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. This study may lead to realization of a dual doping system of solitons and polarons in π-conjugation expanded to two-dimensional directions in polymers.

Interfacial charge separation and recombination in InP and quasi-type II InP/CdS core/shell quantum dot-molecular acceptor complexes.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Kaifeng; Song, Nianhui; Liu, Zheng; Zhu, Haiming; Rodríguez-Córdoba, William; Lian, Tianquan

2013-08-15

Recent studies of group II-VI colloidal semiconductor heterostuctures, such as CdSe/CdS core/shell quantum dots (QDs) or dot-in-rod nanorods, show that type II and quasi-type II band alignment can facilitate electron transfer and slow down charge recombination in QD-molecular electron acceptor complexes. To explore the general applicability of this wave function engineering approach for controlling charge transfer properties, we investigate exciton relaxation and dissociation dynamics in InP (a group III-V semiconductor) and InP/CdS core/shell (a heterostructure beween group III-V and II-VI semiconductors) QDs by transient absorption spectroscopy. We show that InP/CdS QDs exhibit a quasi-type II band alignment with the 1S electron delocalized throughout the core and shell and the 1S hole confined in the InP core. In InP-methylviologen (MV(2+)) complexes, excitons in the QD can be dissociated by ultrafast electron transfer to MV(2+) from the 1S electron level (with an average time constant of 11.4 ps) as well as 1P and higher electron levels (with a time constant of 0.39 ps), which is followed by charge recombination to regenerate the complex in its ground state (with an average time constant of 47.1 ns). In comparison, InP/CdS-MV(2+) complexes show similar ultrafast charge separation and 5-fold slower charge recombination rates, consistent with the quasi-type II band alignment in these heterostructures. This result demonstrates that wave function engineering in nanoheterostructures of group III-V and II-VI semiconductors provides a promising approach for optimizing their light harvesting and charge separation for solar energy conversion applications.

Dependence of the carrier mobility and trapped charge limited conduction on silver nanoparticles embedment in doped polypyrrole nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Biswas, Swarup; Dutta, Bula; Bhattacharya, Subhratanu

2013-10-01

The present article demonstrates an intensive study upon the temperature dependent current density (J)-voltage (V) characteristics of moderately doped polypyrrole nanostructure and its silver nanoparticles incorporated nanocomposites. Analysis of the measured J-V characteristics of different synthesized nano-structured samples within a wide temperature range revealed that the electrical conduction behavior followed a trapped charge-limited conduction and a transition of charge transport mechanism from deep exponential trap limited conduction to shallow traps limited conduction had been occurred due to the incorporation of silver nanoparticles within the polypyrrole matrix. A direct evaluation of carrier mobility as a function of electric field and temperature from the measured J-V characteristics illustrates that the incorporation of silver nanoparticles within the polypyrrole matrix enhances the carrier mobility at a large extent by reducing the concentration of traps within the polypyrrole matrix. The calculated mobility is consistent with the Poole-Frenkel form for the electrical field up to a certain temperature range. The nonlinear low temperature dependency of mobility of all the nanostructured samples was explained by Mott variable range hopping conduction mechanisms. Quantitative information regarding the charge transport parameters obtained from the above study would help to extend optimization strategies for the fabrication of new organic semiconducting nano-structured devices.

Photoexcited carrier trapping and recombination at Fe centers in GaN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uždavinys, T. K.; Marcinkevičius, S.; Leach, J. H.; Evans, K. R.; Look, D. C.

2016-01-01

Fe doped GaN was studied by time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. The shape of PL transients at different temperatures and excitation powers allowed discrimination between electron and hole capture to Fe"3"+ and Fe"2"+ centers, respectively. Analysis of the internal structure of Fe ions and intra-ion relaxation rates suggests that for high repetition rates of photoexciting laser pulses the electron and hole trapping takes place in the excited state rather than the ground state of Fe ions. Hence, the estimated electron and hole capture coefficients of 5.5 × 10"−"8 cm"3/s and 1.8 × 10"−"8 cm"3/s should be attributed to excited Fe"3"+ and Fe"2"+ states. The difference in electron capture rates determined for high (MHz) and low (Hz) (Fang et al., Appl. Phys. Lett. 107, 051901 (2015)) pulse repetition rates may be assigned to the different Fe states participating in the carrier capture. A weak temperature dependence of the electron trapping rate shows that the potential barrier for the multiphonon electron capture is small. A spectral feature observed at ∼420 nm is assigned to the radiative recombination of an electron in the ground Fe"2"+ state and a bound hole.

Structural dependences of localization and recombination of photogenerated carriers in the top GaInP Subcells of GaInP/GaAs double-junction tandem solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Zhuo; Ning, Jiqiang; Su, Zhicheng; Xu, Shijie; Xing, Zheng; Wang, Rongxin; Lu, Shulong; Dong, Jianrong; Zhang, Baoshun; Yang, Hui

2015-01-14

In high-efficiency GaInP/GaAs double-junction tandem solar cells, GaInP layers play a central role in determining the performance of the solar cells. Therefore, gaining a deeper understanding of the optoelectronic processes in GaInP layers is crucial for improving the energy conversion efficiency of GaInP-based photovoltaic devices. In this work, we firmly show strong dependences of localization and recombination of photogenerated carriers in the top GaInP subcells in the GaInP/GaAs double-junction tandem solar cells on the substrate misorientation angle with excitation intensity- and temperature-dependent photoluminescence (PL). The entire solar cell structures including GaInP layers were grown with metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on GaAs substrates with misorientation angles of 2° (denoted as Sample 2°) and 7° (Sample 7°) off (100) toward (111)B. The PL spectral features of the two top GaInP subcells, as well as their excitation-power and temperature dependences exhibit remarkable variation on the misorientation angle. In Sample 2°, the dominant localization mechanism and luminescence channels are due to the energy potential minima caused by highly ordered atomic domains; In Sample 7°, the main localization and radiative recombination of photogenerated carriers occur in the atomically disordered regions. Our results reveal a more precise picture on the localization and recombination mechanisms of photogenerated carriers in the top GaInP subcells, which could be the crucial factors in controlling the optoelectronic efficiency of the GaInP-based multijunction photovoltaic devices.

Generation of reactive oxygen species and charge carriers in plasmonic photocatalytic Au@TiO2 nanostructures with enhanced activity.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Weiwei; Cai, Junhui; Jiang, Xiumei; Yin, Jun-Jie; Meng, Qingbo

2018-06-13

The combination of semiconductor and plasmonic nanostructures, endowed with high efficiency light harvesting and surface plasmon confinement, has been a promising way for efficient utilization of solar energy. Although the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) assisted photocatalysis has been extensively studied, the photochemical mechanism, e.g. the effect of SPR on the generation of reactive oxygen species and charge carriers, is not well understood. In this study, we take Au@TiO2 nanostructures as a plasmonic photocatalyst to address this critical issue. The Au@TiO2 core/shell nanostructures with tunable SPR property were synthesized by the templating method with post annealing thermal treatment. It was found that Au@TiO2 nanostructures exhibit enhanced photocatalytic activity in either sunlight or visible light (λ > 420 nm). Electron spin resonance spectroscopy with spin trapping and spin labeling was used to investigate the enhancing effect of Au@TiO2 on the photo-induced reactive oxygen species and charge carriers. The formation of Au@TiO2 core/shell nanostructures resulted in a dramatic increase in light-induced generation of hydroxyl radicals, singlet oxygen, holes and electrons, as compared with TiO2 alone. This enhancement under visible light (λ > 420 nm) irradiation may be dominated by SPR induced local electrical field enhancement, while the enhancement under sunlight irradiation is dominated by the higher electron transfer from TiO2 to Au. These results unveiled that the superior photocatalytic activity of Au@TiO2 nanostructures correlates with enhanced generation of reactive oxygen species and charge carriers.

The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moerman, David; Colbert, Adam E.; Ginger, David S.; Kim, Hyungchul; Graham, Samuel

2016-01-01

We study the effects of modifying indium tin oxide electrodes with ultrathin titania (TiO_2) layers grown via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). We find an optimal thickness of PE-ALD-grown titania by tracking performance, which initially increases, peaks, and eventually decreases with increasing TiO_2 thickness. We use scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) to measure both the local work function and its distribution as a function of TiO_2 thickness. We find that the variance in contact potential difference across the surface of the film is related to either the amorphous or anatase TiO_2 form. Finally, we use local SKPM recombination rate experiments, supported by bulk transient photovoltage and charge extraction measurements. We show that the optimum TiO_2 thickness is the one for which the carrier lifetime is the longest and the charge carrier density is the highest, when the TiO_2 is amorphous, in agreement with the device measurements.

Interfacial charge recombination via the triplet state? Mimicry of photoprotection in the photosynthetic process with a dye-sensitized TiO 2 solar cell reaction

Science.gov (United States)

Weng, Yu-Xiang; Li, Long; Liu, Yin; Wang, Li; Yang, Guo-Zhen; Sheng, Jian-Qun

2002-04-01

Evidence for the photoinduced charge recombination to the excited-triplet state has been observed in chemical solar cell reaction consisting of dye-sensitized TiO 2 colloidal ethanol solution, which mimicks the photoprotection function in the photosynthetic units. The dye is all -trans-retinoic acid, a structural analog of β-carotenoid. Two channels of charge recombination, i.e., through triplet and ground states were observed by nano-second flash photolysis. The possibility of applying the function of photoprotection to the synthetic solar cell is discussed, which provides a potential entry of molecular engineering of the dye to improve the long term stability of the synthetic solar cell.

Insights into the charge carrier terahertz mobility in polyfluorenes from large-scale atomistic simulations and time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vukmirović, N.; Ponseca, C.S.; Němec, Hynek; Yartsev, A.; Sundström, V.

2012-01-01

Roč. 116, č. 37 (2012), s. 19665-1972 ISSN 1932-7447 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520 Keywords : charge carrier mobility * time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy * multiscale atomistic calculations Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 4.814, year: 2012

Ultra-fast charge carrier dynamics across the spectrum of an optical gain media based on InAs/AlGaInAs/InP quantum dots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Khanonkin

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The charge carrier dynamics of improved InP-based InAs/AlGaInAs quantum dot (QD semiconductor optical amplifiers are examined employing the multi-wavelength ultrafast pump-probe measurement technique. The transient transmission response of the continuous wave probe shows interesting dynamical processes during the initial 2-3 ps after the pump pulse, when carriers originating from two photon absorption contribute the least to the recovery. The effects of optical excitations and electrical bias levels on the recovery dynamics of the gain in energetically different QDs are quantified and discussed. The experimental observations are validated qualitatively using a comprehensive finite-difference time-domain model by recording the time evolution of the charge carriers in the QDs ensemble following the pulse.

Carrier Decay and Diffusion Dynamics in Single-Crystalline CdTe as seen via Microphotoluminescence

Science.gov (United States)

Mascarenhas, Angelo; Fluegel, Brian; Alberi, Kirstin; Zhang, Yong-Hang

2015-03-01

The ability to spatially resolve the degree to which extended defects impact carrier diffusion lengths and lifetimes is important for determining upper limits for defect densities in semiconductor devices. We show that a new spatially and temporally resolved photoluminescence (PL) imaging technique can be used to accurately extract carrier lifetimes in the immediate vicinity of dark-line defects in CdTe/MgCdTe double heterostructures. A series of PL images captured during the decay process show that extended defects with a density of 1.4x10-5 cm-2 deplete photogenerated charge carriers from the surrounding semiconductor material on a nanosecond time scale. The technique makes it possible to elucidate the interplay between nonradiative carrier recombination and carrier diffusion and reveals that they both combine to degrade the PL intensity over a fractional area that is much larger than the physical size of the defects. Carrier lifetimes are correctly determined from numerical simulations of the decay behavior by taking these two effects into account. Our study demonstrates that it is crucial to measure and account for the influence of local defects in the measurement of carrier lifetime and diffusion, which are key transport parameters for the design and modeling of advanced solar-cell and light-emitting devices. We acknowledge the financial support of the Department of Energy Office of Science under Grant No. DE-AC36-08GO28308.

Simulation of charge generation and transport in semi-conductors under energetic-particle bombardment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin, R.C.

1990-01-01

The passage of energetic ions through semiconductor devices generates excess charge which can produce logic upset, memory change, and device damage. This single event upset (SEU) phenomenon is increasingly important for satellite communications. Experimental and numerical simulation of SEUs is difficult because of the subnanosecond times and large charge densities within the ion track. The objective of this work is twofold: (1) the determination of the track structure and electron-hole pair generation profiles following the passage of an energetic ion; (2) the development and application of a new numerical method for transient charge transport in semiconductor devices. A secondary electron generation and transport model, based on the Monte Carlo method, is developed and coupled to an ion transport code to simulate ion track formation in silicon. A new numerical method is developed for the study of transient charge transport. The numerical method combines an axisymmetric quadratic finite-element formulation for the solution of the potential with particle simulation methods for electron and hole transport. Carrier transport, recombination, and thermal generation of both majority and minority carriers are included. To assess the method, transient one-dimensional solutions for silicon diodes are compared to a fully iterative finite-element method. Simulations of charge collection from ion tracks in three-dimensional axisymmetric devices are presented and compared to previous work. The results of this work for transient current pulses following charged ion passage are in agreement with recent experimental data

Schottky effect model of electrical activity of metallic precipitates in silicon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Plekhanov, P. S.; Tan, T. Y.

2000-01-01

A quantitative model of the electrical activity of metallic precipitates in Si is formulated with an emphasis on the Schottky junction effects of the precipitate-Si system. Carrier diffusion and carrier drift in the Si space charge region are accounted for. Carrier recombination is attributed to the thermionic emission mechanism of charge transport across the Schottky junction rather than the surface recombination. It is shown that the precipitates can have a very large minority carrier capture cross-section. Under weak carrier generation conditions, the supply of minority carriers is found to be the limiting factor of the recombination process. The plausibility of the model is demonstrated by a comparison of calculated and available experimental results. (c) 2000 American Institute of Physics

Sensitized charge carrier injection into organic crystals studied by isotope effects in weak magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bube, W.; Michel-Beyerle, M.E.; Haberkorn, R.; Steffens, E.

1977-01-01

The magnetic field (H approximately 50 Oe) dependence of the rhodamine sensitized triplet exciton density in anthracene crystals is influenced by isotopic substitution. This confirms the hyperfine interaction as mechanism explaining the change of the spin multiplicity in the initially formed singlet state of the radical pair. The isotope effect occurs in the sensitizing dye ( 14 N/ 15 N) rather than at the molecular site of the injected charge within the crystal. This can be understood in terms of the high hopping frequency of the charge carriers as compared to the time constant of the hyperfine induced singlet-triplet transition. Since the dye molecules adsorb in an oriented fashion, the angular dependence of the magnetic field modulation of the triplet exciton density can be interpreted without assuming any additional interactions. (Auth.)

Interfacial recombination at /AlGa/As/GaAs heterojunction structures

Science.gov (United States)

Ettenberg, M.; Kressel, H.

1976-01-01

Experiments were conducted to determine the interfacial recombination velocity at Al0.25Ga0.75As/GaAs and Al0.5Ga0.5As/GaAs heterojunctions. The recombination velocity was derived from a study of the injected minority-carrier lifetime as a function of the junction spacing. It is found that for heterojunction spacings in excess of about 1 micron, the interfacial recombination can be characterized by a surface recombination velocity of 4,000 and 8,000 cm/sec for the two types of heterojunctions, respectively. For double-heterojunction spacings below 1 micron, the constancy of the minority-carrier lifetime suggests that the interfacial recombination velocity decreases effectively. This effect is technologically very important since it makes it possible to construct very low-threshold injection lasers. No such effect is observed in single-heterojunction diodes.

Quantum dot sensitized solar cells: Light harvesting versus charge recombination, a film thickness consideration

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiu Wei; Wang, Ye Feng; Zeng, Jing Hui; Shi, Feng; Chen, Yu; Jiang, Jiaxing

2017-08-01

Sensitizer loading level is one of the key factors determined the performance of sensitized solar cells. In this work, we systemically studied the influence of photo-anode thicknesses on the performance of the quantum-dot sensitized solar cells. It is found that the photo-to-current conversion efficiency enhances with increased film thickness and peaks at around 20 μm. The optimal value is about twice as large as the dye counterparts. Here, we also uncover the underlying mechanism about the influence of film thickness over the photovoltaic performance of QDSSCs from the light harvesting and charge recombination viewpoint.

Nonradiative recombination in semiconductors

CERN Document Server

Abakumov, VN; Yassievich, IN

1991-01-01

In recent years, great progress has been made in the understandingof recombination processes controlling the number of excessfree carriers in semiconductors under nonequilibrium conditions. As a result, it is now possible to give a comprehensivetheoretical description of these processes. The authors haveselected a number of experimental results which elucidate theunderlying physical problems and enable a test of theoreticalmodels. The following topics are dealt with: phenomenological theory ofrecombination, theoretical models of shallow and deep localizedstates, cascade model of carrier captu

Charge carrier dynamics in PMMA-LiClO4 based polymer electrolytes plasticized with different plasticizers

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, P.; Ghosh, A.

2017-07-01

We have studied the charge carrier dynamics in poly(methylmethacrylate)-LiClO4 polymer electrolytes plasticized with different plasticizers such as ethylene carbonate (EC), propylene carbonate (PC), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and dimethyl carbonate (DMC). We have measured the broadband complex conductivity spectra of these electrolytes in the frequency range of 0.01 Hz-3 GHz and in the temperature range of 203 K-363 K and analyzed the conductivity spectra in the framework of the random barrier model by taking into account the contribution of the electrode polarization observed at low frequencies and/or at high temperatures. It is observed that the temperature dependences of the ionic conductivity and relaxation time follow the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher relation for all plasticized electrolytes. We have also performed the scaling of the conductivity spectra, which indicates that the charge carrier dynamics is almost independent of temperature and plasticizers in a limited frequency range. The existence of nearly constant loss in these electrolytes has been observed at low temperatures and/or high frequencies. We have studied the dielectric relaxation in these electrolytes using electric modulus formalism and obtained the stretched exponent and the decay function. We have observed less cooperative ion dynamics in electrolytes plasticized with DMC compared to electrolytes plasticized with EC, PC, and PEG.

Dynamics and relaxation of charge carriers in poly(methylmethacrylate)-lithium salt based polymer electrolytes plasticized with ethylene carbonate

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, P.; Ghosh, A.

2016-07-01

In this paper, we have studied the dynamics and relaxation of charge carriers in poly(methylmethacrylate)-lithium salt based polymer electrolytes plasticized with ethylene carbonate. Structural and thermal properties have been examined using X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. We have analyzed the complex conductivity spectra by using power law model coupled with the contribution of electrode polarization at low frequencies and high temperatures. The temperature dependence of the ionic conductivity and crossover frequency exhibits Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher type behavior indicating a strong coupling between the ionic and the polymer chain segmental motions. The scaling of the ac conductivity indicates that relaxation dynamics of charge carriers follows a common mechanism for all temperatures and ethylene carbonate concentrations. The analysis of the ac conductivity also shows the existence of a nearly constant loss in these polymer electrolytes at low temperatures and high frequencies. The fraction of free anions and ion pairs in polymer electrolyte have been obtained from the analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectra. It is observed that these quantities influence the behavior of the composition dependence of the ionic conductivity.

Dynamics and relaxation of charge carriers in poly(methylmethacrylate)-lithium salt based polymer electrolytes plasticized with ethylene carbonate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pal, P.; Ghosh, A., E-mail: sspag@iacs.res.in [Department of Solid State Physics, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032 (India)

2016-07-28

In this paper, we have studied the dynamics and relaxation of charge carriers in poly(methylmethacrylate)-lithium salt based polymer electrolytes plasticized with ethylene carbonate. Structural and thermal properties have been examined using X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry, respectively. We have analyzed the complex conductivity spectra by using power law model coupled with the contribution of electrode polarization at low frequencies and high temperatures. The temperature dependence of the ionic conductivity and crossover frequency exhibits Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher type behavior indicating a strong coupling between the ionic and the polymer chain segmental motions. The scaling of the ac conductivity indicates that relaxation dynamics of charge carriers follows a common mechanism for all temperatures and ethylene carbonate concentrations. The analysis of the ac conductivity also shows the existence of a nearly constant loss in these polymer electrolytes at low temperatures and high frequencies. The fraction of free anions and ion pairs in polymer electrolyte have been obtained from the analysis of Fourier transform infrared spectra. It is observed that these quantities influence the behavior of the composition dependence of the ionic conductivity.

The effective charge of heavy ions in hot, dense plasma, special attention being given to dielectronic recombination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peter, T.

1985-11-01

This work investigates the effective charge Zsub(eff) of heavy ion beams when passing through hot, dense matter. Major new results concern the temperature and high density effects on Zsub(eff), the importance of dielectronic recombination in the process where free electrons are captured by the projectile, and the corresponding shell oscillations in Zsub(eff), as well as the derivation of approximate scaling relations for Zsub(eff). (orig./GG) [de

Experimental evidence for importance of Hund's exchange interaction for incoherence of charge carriers in iron-based superconductors

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, J.; Rienks, E. D. L.; Thirupathaiah, S.; Nayak, J.; van Roekeghem, A.; Biermann, S.; Wolf, T.; Adelmann, P.; Jeevan, H. S.; Gegenwart, P.; Wurmehl, S.; Felser, C.; Büchner, B.

2017-04-01

Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy is used to study the scattering rates of charge carriers from the hole pockets near Γ in the iron-based high-Tc hole-doped superconductors KxBa1 -xFe2As2 , x =0.4 , and KxEu1 -xFe2As2 , x =0.55 , and the electron-doped compound Ba (Fe1-xCox) 2As2 , x =0.075 . The scattering rate for any given band is found to depend linearly on the energy, indicating a non-Fermi-liquid regime. The scattering rates in the hole-doped compound are considerably higher than those in the electron-doped compounds. In the hole-doped systems the scattering rate of the charge carriers of the inner hole pocket is about three times higher than the binding energy, indicating that the spectral weight is heavily incoherent. The strength of the scattering rates and the difference between electron- and hole-doped compounds signals the importance of Hund's exchange coupling for correlation effects in these iron-based high-Tc superconductors. The experimental results are in qualitative agreement with theoretical calculations in the framework of combined density functional dynamical mean-field theory.

Dependence of secondary electron emission on surface charging in sapphire and polycrystalline alumina: Evaluation of the effective cross sections for recombination and trapping

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Said, K.; Damamme, G.; Si Ahmed, A.; Moya, G.; Kallel, A.

2014-01-01

Highlights: • A novel approach for the analysis of the secondary electron emission in connection with the surface density of trapped charges. • Experimental estimation of the effective cross section for electron–hole recombination and electron trapping in defects. • A simplified charge transport and trapping model which corroborates qualitatively the interpretation of the results. - Abstract: The evolution of the secondary electron emission from sapphire and polycrystalline alumina during electron irradiation, achieved in a scanning electron microscope at room temperature, is derived from the measurement of the induced and the secondary electron currents. The semi-logarithmic plot of the secondary electron emission yield versus the surface density of trapped charges displays a plateau followed by a linear variation. For positive charging, the slope of the linear part, whose value is of about 10 −9 cm 2 , is independent of the primary electron energy, the microstructure and the impurities. It is interpreted as an effective microscopic cross section for electron–hole recombination. For negative charging of sapphire, the slope is associated with an effective electron trapping cross section close to 10 −11 cm 2 , which can be assigned to the dominant impurity trap. These effective values reflect the multiple interactions leading to the accumulation of charges. The yield corresponding to the plateau is controlled by the initial density of impurity traps. A charge transport and trapping >model, based on simplifying assumptions, confirms qualitatively these inferences

A study of charge transfer kinetics in dye-sensitized surface conductivity solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Friedrich, Dennis

2011-05-15

concentration of the redox species in the electrolyte film, having the fastest decay at the lowest concentration of the redox couple. This was due to the regeneration of the oxidized dye by iodide, screening the positive charge from recombination with injected electrons. The adsorption of cations such as Li{sup +} led to a relatively weak increase of the electron lifetime, although in combination with a redox couple these effects were less clear. The replacement of the iodide/iodine redox couple by the kinetically fast ferrocene/ ferrocenium system caused a dramatic increase of the decay rates of photogenerated charge carriers in subset devices. Thus, showing the importance of the kinetically slow reduction rates of the oxidized redox couple iodide/iodine, leading to an increase of the electron lifetime by the reduction of the dye cation. The analysis of charge carrier kinetics in TiO{sub 2} powders and films displayed a decrease of the decay rate upon dye-sensitization after band-to-band excitation with laser pulses at 355 nm. In the case of ZnO films, the presence of the dye induced a significantly accelerated decay after excitation at 355 nm. In contrast to the ZnO films, ZnO nanorods displayed no such destructive influence of the dye adsorption. Furthermore, after exciting the sample at 355 nm, the decay was found to be independent of the dye and mainly depending on the recombination of electron-hole pairs and electrons with the dye cation at 355 nm and 532 nm, respectively. (orig.)

Fusion-Related Ionization and Recombination Data for Tungsten Ions in Low to Moderately High Charge States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alfred Müller

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Collisional processes and details of atomic structure of heavy many-electron atoms and ions are not yet understood in a fully satisfying manner. Experimental studies are required for guiding new theoretical approaches. In response to fusion-related needs for collisional and spectroscopic data on tungsten atoms in all charge states, a project has been initiated in which electron-impact and photon-induced ionization as well as photorecombination of Wq+ ions are studied. Cross sections and rate coefficients were determined for charge states q ranging from q = 1 to q = 5 for photoionization, for q = 1 up to q = 19 for electron-impact ionization and for q = 18 to q = 21 for electron-ion recombination. An overview, together with a critical assessment of the methods and results is provided.

Mapping Carrier Dynamics on Material Surfaces in Space and Time using Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscopy

KAUST Repository

Sun, Jingya; Adhikari, Aniruddha; Shaheen, Basamat; Yang, Haoze; Mohammed, Omar F.

2016-01-01

Selectively capturing the ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers on materials surfaces and at interfaces is crucial to the design of solar cells and optoelectronic devices. Despite extensive research efforts over the past few decades, information and understanding about surface-dynamical processes, including carrier trapping and recombination remains extremely limited. A key challenge is to selectively map such dynamic processes, a capability that is hitherto impractical by time-resolved laser techniques, which are limited by the laser’s relatively large penetration depth and consequently they record mainly bulk information. Such surface dynamics can only be mapped in real space and time by applying four-dimensional (4D) scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (S-UEM), which records snapshots of materials surfaces with nanometer spatial and sub-picosecond temporal resolutions. In this method, the secondary electron (SE) signal emitted from the sample’s surface is extremely sensitive to the surface dynamics and is detected in real time. In several unique applications, we spatially and temporally visualize the SE energy gain and loss, the charge carrier dynamics on the surface of InGaN nanowires and CdSe single crystals and its powder film. We also provide the mechanisms for the observed dynamics, which will be the foundation for future potential applications of S-UEM to a wide range of studies on material surfaces and device interfaces.

Mapping Carrier Dynamics on Material Surfaces in Space and Time using Scanning Ultrafast Electron Microscopy

KAUST Repository

Sun, Jingya

2016-02-25

Selectively capturing the ultrafast dynamics of charge carriers on materials surfaces and at interfaces is crucial to the design of solar cells and optoelectronic devices. Despite extensive research efforts over the past few decades, information and understanding about surface-dynamical processes, including carrier trapping and recombination remains extremely limited. A key challenge is to selectively map such dynamic processes, a capability that is hitherto impractical by time-resolved laser techniques, which are limited by the laser’s relatively large penetration depth and consequently they record mainly bulk information. Such surface dynamics can only be mapped in real space and time by applying four-dimensional (4D) scanning ultrafast electron microscopy (S-UEM), which records snapshots of materials surfaces with nanometer spatial and sub-picosecond temporal resolutions. In this method, the secondary electron (SE) signal emitted from the sample’s surface is extremely sensitive to the surface dynamics and is detected in real time. In several unique applications, we spatially and temporally visualize the SE energy gain and loss, the charge carrier dynamics on the surface of InGaN nanowires and CdSe single crystals and its powder film. We also provide the mechanisms for the observed dynamics, which will be the foundation for future potential applications of S-UEM to a wide range of studies on material surfaces and device interfaces.

Design of charge exchange recombination spectroscopy for the joint Texas experimental tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chi, Y.; Zhuang, G., E-mail: ge-zhuang@hust.edu.cn; Cheng, Z. F.; Hou, S. Y.; Cheng, C.; Li, Z.; Wang, J. R.; Wang, Z. J. [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074 (China)

2014-11-15

The old diagnostic neutral beam injector first operated at the University of Texas at Austin is ready for rejoining the joint Texas experimental tokamak (J-TEXT). A new set of high voltage power supplies has been equipped and there is no limitation for beam modulation or beam pulse duration henceforth. Based on the spectra of fully striped impurity ions induced by the diagnostic beam the design work for toroidal charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) system is presented. The 529 nm carbon VI (n = 8 − 7 transition) line seems to be the best choice for ion temperature and plasma rotation measurements and the considered hardware is listed. The design work of the toroidal CXRS system is guided by essential simulation of expected spectral results under the J-TEXT tokamak operation conditions.

Charge carrier mobility and electronic properties of Al(Op3: impact of excimer formation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea Magri

2015-05-01

Full Text Available We have studied the electronic properties and the charge carrier mobility of the organic semiconductor tris(1-oxo-1H-phenalen-9-olatealuminium(III (Al(Op3 both experimentally and theoretically. We experimentally estimated the HOMO and LUMO energy levels to be −5.93 and −3.26 eV, respectively, which were close to the corresponding calculated values. Al(Op3 was successfully evaporated onto quartz substrates and was clearly identified in the absorption spectra of both the solution and the thin film. A structured steady state fluorescence emission was detected in solution, whereas a broad, red-shifted emission was observed in the thin film. This indicates the formation of excimers in the solid state, which is crucial for the transport properties. The incorporation of Al(Op3 into organic thin film transistors (TFTs was performed in order to measure the charge carrier mobility. The experimental setup detected no electron mobility, while a hole mobility between 0.6 × 10−6 and 2.1 × 10−6 cm2·V−1·s−1 was measured. Theoretical simulations, on the other hand, predicted an electron mobility of 9.5 × 10−6 cm2·V−1·s−1 and a hole mobility of 1.4 × 10−4 cm2·V−1·s−1. The theoretical simulation for the hole mobility predicted an approximately one order of magnitude higher hole mobility than was observed in the experiment, which is considered to be in good agreement. The result for the electron mobility was, on the other hand, unexpected, as both the calculated electron mobility and chemical common sense (based on the capability of extended aromatic structures to efficiently accept and delocalize additional electrons suggest more robust electron charge transport properties. This discrepancy is explained by the excimer formation, whose inclusion in the multiscale simulation workflow is expected to bring the theoretical simulation and experiment into agreement.

Study of the Bulk Charge Carrier Dynamics in Anatase and Rutile TiO2 Single Crystals by Femtosecond Time Resolved Spectroscopy

KAUST Repository

Maity, Partha; Mohammed, Omar F.; Katsiev, Khabiboulakh; Idriss, Hicham

2018-01-01

as the best model for fundamental studies. Their ultrafast charge carrier dynamics especially on TiO2 anatase single crystal (the most active phase) are unresolved. Here femtosecond time resolved spectroscopy (TRS) was carried out to explore the dynamics

An explanation of efficiency droop in InGaN-based light emitting diodes: saturated radiative recombination rate at randomly distributed In-rich active areas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shim, Jong-In; Kim, Hyun-Sung; Shin, Dong-Soo; Yoo, Han-Youl

2011-01-01

We present a comprehensive model of the dependence of the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) on both the temperature and the carrier density in InGaN-based blue and green light emitting diodes (LEDs). In our model, carriers are dominantly located and recombine both radiatively and nonradiatively inside randomly distributed In-rich areas of the InGaN quantum wells (QWs). In those areas, the carrier density is very high even at a small current density. We propose that the saturated radiative recombination rate is a primary factor determining the IQE droop of InGaN based LEDs. In typical InGaN-based QWs, it is common for the total carrier recombination rate to be smaller than the carrier injection rate even at a small current density. This is mostly attributable to the saturation of the radiative recombination rate. The saturation of the radiative recombination rate increases carrier density in InGaN QWs, enlarges nonradiative carrier losses, and eventually gives rise to the large IQE droop with increasing current. We show how the radiative recombination rate saturates and the radiative recombination rate has influence on the IQE droop in InGaN-based QW LEDs.

Subnanosecond Charge Recombination Dynamics in P3HT/PC61BM Films

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jian-Ping Zhang

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Ultrafast near-infrared absorption spectroscopy was used to investigate the influence of film morphology and excitation photon energy on the charge recombination (CR dynamics in the initial nanosecond timescale in the P3HT/PC61BM blend films. With reference to the CS2-cast films, the solvent vapor annealed (SVA ones show 2–3-fold improvement in hole mobility and more than 5-fold reduction in the polymer-localized trap states of holes. At Dt = 70 ps, the hole mobility (mh and the bimolecular CR rate (gbi of the SVA films are mh = 8.7 × 10−4 cm2×s−1×V−1 and gbi = 4.5 × 10−10 cm3×s−1, whereas at Dt = 1 ns they drop to 8.7 × 10−5 cm2×s−1×V−1 and 4.6 × 10−11 cm3×s−1, respectively. In addition, upon increasing the hole concentration, the hole mobility increases substantially faster under the above-gap photoexcitation than it does under the band-gap photoexcitation, irrespective of the film morphologies. The results point to the importance of utilizing the photogenerated free charges in the early timescales.

Charge carrier transport properties in layer structured hexagonal boron nitride

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. C. Doan

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Due to its large in-plane thermal conductivity, high temperature and chemical stability, large energy band gap (˜ 6.4 eV, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN has emerged as an important material for applications in deep ultraviolet photonic devices. Among the members of the III-nitride material system, hBN is the least studied and understood. The study of the electrical transport properties of hBN is of utmost importance with a view to realizing practical device applications. Wafer-scale hBN epilayers have been successfully synthesized by metal organic chemical deposition and their electrical transport properties have been probed by variable temperature Hall effect measurements. The results demonstrate that undoped hBN is a semiconductor exhibiting weak p-type at high temperatures (> 700 °K. The measured acceptor energy level is about 0.68 eV above the valence band. In contrast to the electrical transport properties of traditional III-nitride wide bandgap semiconductors, the temperature dependence of the hole mobility in hBN can be described by the form of μ ∝ (T/T0−α with α = 3.02, satisfying the two-dimensional (2D carrier transport limit dominated by the polar optical phonon scattering. This behavior is a direct consequence of the fact that hBN is a layer structured material. The optical phonon energy deduced from the temperature dependence of the hole mobility is ħω = 192 meV (or 1546 cm-1, which is consistent with values previously obtained using other techniques. The present results extend our understanding of the charge carrier transport properties beyond the traditional III-nitride semiconductors.

Carrier recombination dynamics in anatase TiO 2 nanoparticles

Science.gov (United States)

Cavigli, Lucia; Bogani, Franco; Vinattieri, Anna; Cortese, Lorenzo; Colocci, Marcello; Faso, Valentina; Baldi, Giovanni

2010-11-01

We present an experimental study of the radiative recombination dynamics in size-controlled TiO 2 nanoparticles in the range 20-130 nm. Time-integrated photoluminescence spectra clearly show a dominance of self-trapped exciton (STE) emission, with main features not dependent on the nanoparticle size and on its environment. From picosecond time-resolved experiments as a function of the excitation density and the nanoparticle size we address the STE recombination dynamics as the result of two main processes related to the direct STE formation and to the indirect STE formation mediated by non-radiative surface states.

Charge Energy Transport in Hopping Systems with Rapidly Decreasing Density of States

Science.gov (United States)

Mendels, Dan; Organic Electronics Group Technion Team

2014-03-01

An accurate description of the carrier hopping topology in the energy domain of hopping systems incorporating a rapidly decreasing density of states and the subsequent energetic position of these systems' so called effective conduction band is crucial for rationalizing and quantifying these systems' thermo-electric properties, doping related phenomena and carrier gradient effects such as the emergence of the General Einstein Relation under degenerate conditions. Additionally, as will be shown, the 'mobile' carriers propagating through the system can have excess energies reaching 0.3eV above the system quasi-Fermi energy. Hence, since these mobile carriers are most prone to reach systems interfaces and interact with oppositely charged carriers, their excess energy should be considered in determining the efficiencies of energy dependent processes such as carrier recombination and exciton dissociation. In light of the stated motivations, a comprehensive numerical and analytical study of the topology of hopping in the energetic density of such systems (i.e. the statistics regarding which energy values carriers visit most and in what manner) was implemented and the main statistical features of the hopping process that determine the position in energy of the system's effective conduction band were distilled. The obtained results also help shed light on yet to be elucidated discrepancies between predictions given by the widely employed transport energy concept and Monte Carlo simulations.

Comparison of modification strategies towards enhanced charge carrier separation and photocatalytic degradation activity of metal oxide semiconductors (TiO2, WO3 and ZnO)

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, S. Girish; Rao, K. S. R. Koteswara

2017-01-01

Metal oxide semiconductors (TiO2, WO3 and ZnO) finds unparalleled opportunity in wastewater purification under UV/visible light, largely encouraged by their divergent admirable features like stability, non-toxicity, ease of preparation, suitable band edge positions and facile generation of active oxygen species in the aqueous medium. However, the perennial failings of these photocatalysts emanates from the stumbling blocks like rapid charge carrier recombination and meager visible light response. In this review, tailoring the surface-bulk electronic structure through the calibrated and veritable approaches such as impurity doping, deposition with noble metals, sensitizing with other compounds (dyes, polymers, inorganic complexes and simple chelating ligands), hydrogenation process (annealing under hydrogen atmosphere), electronic integration with other semiconductors, modifying with carbon nanostructures, designing with exposed facets and tailoring with hierarchical morphologies to overcome their critical drawbacks are summarized. Taking into account the materials intrinsic properties, the pros and cons together with similarities and striking differences for each strategy in specific to TiO2, WO3 & ZnO are highlighted. These subtlety enunciates the primacy for improving the structure-electronic properties of metal oxides and credence to its fore in the practical applications. Future research must focus on comparing the performances of ZnO, TiO2 and WO3 in parallel to get insight into their photocatalytic behaviors. Such comparisons not only reveal the changed surface-electronic structure upon various modifications, but also shed light on charge carrier dynamics, free radical generation, structural stability and compatibility for photocatalytic reactions. It is envisioned that these cardinal tactics have profound implications and can be replicated to other semiconductor photocatalysts like CeO2, In2O3, Bi2O3, Fe2O3, BiVO4, AgX, BiOX (X = Cl, Br & I), Bi2WO6, Bi2MoO6

A novel research approach on the dynamic properties of photogenerated charge carriers at Ag{sub 2}S quantum-dots-sensitized TiO{sub 2} films by a frequency-modulated surface photovoltage technology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Yu; Zhang, Wei [Liaoning Key Laboratory for Green Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry of Advanced Materials, College of Chemistry, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036 (China); Xie, Tengfeng; Wang, Dejun [College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012 (China); Song, Xi-Ming, E-mail: songlab@lnu.edu.cn [Liaoning Key Laboratory for Green Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry of Advanced Materials, College of Chemistry, Liaoning University, Shenyang 110036 (China)

2013-09-01

Graphical abstract: The changed SPV with chopping frequencies indicate the separation speeds of photogenerated charge carriers in different films. - Highlights: • Ag{sub 2}S-sensitized TiO{sub 2} films show good photoelectric responses in visible-light region. • Frequency-modulated SPV give dynamic information and evidence of Ag{sub 2}S QDSSCs’ performance. • Frequency-modulated SPV can supply complementary information in the study of Ag{sub 2}S ODSSCs. - Abstract: Ag{sub 2}S quantum-dots-sensitized TiO{sub 2} films with different amount of Ag{sub 2}S were fabricated by a successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method. The separation and transport of photogenerated charge carriers at different spectral regions were studied by the frequency-modulated surface photovoltage technology. Some novel dynamic information of photogenerated charge carriers in a wide spectral range is found. The results indicate that the rate and direction of separation (diffusion) for photogenerated charge carriers are closely related to the performance of quantum-dots-sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) based on the Ag{sub 2}S/TiO{sub 2} nano-structure.

Space and time resolved measurements of ion temperature with the CVI 5292 A charge exchange recombination line after subtracting background radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ida, K.; Hidekuma, S.

1988-08-01

An ion temperature profile has been obtained with the CVI 5292 A (n = 8 - 7) charge exchange recombination (CXR) line using a space and wave-length resolving visible spectrometer installed on the JIPP TII-U tokamak. Two sets of 50 channels optical fiber arrays: one viewing a fast neutral hydrogen beam (CXR channels) and the other viewing off the neutral beam line (background channels), is arranged on the entrance slit of the spectrometer. This spectrometer is coupled to an image intensifier and CCD detector at the focal plane and provides temperature profile every 1/60 second. An ion temperature is derived from the Doppler broadened line profile after subtracting the simultaneously measured cold component (background channels), which is due to electron-excitation and/or charge exchange recombination in the plasma periphery. Alternative approach to obtain the ion temperature profile without CXR is also demonstrated. This method is based on an Abel inversion technique for each wavelength separately. (author)

Temperature Dependence of Charge Localization in High-Mobility, Solution-Crystallized Small Molecule Semiconductors Studied by Charge Modulation Spectroscopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meneau, Aurélie Y. B.; Olivier, Yoann; Backlund, Tomas

2016-01-01

In solution-processable small molecule semiconductors, the extent of charge carrier wavefunction localization induced by dynamic disorder can be probed spectroscopically as a function of temperature using charge modulation spectroscopy (CMS). Here, it is shown based on combined fi eld-effect tran......In solution-processable small molecule semiconductors, the extent of charge carrier wavefunction localization induced by dynamic disorder can be probed spectroscopically as a function of temperature using charge modulation spectroscopy (CMS). Here, it is shown based on combined fi eld......-effect transistor and CMS measurements as a function of temperature that in certain molecular semiconductors, such as solution-processible pentacene, charge carriers become trapped at low temperatures in environments in which the charges become highly localized on individual molecules, while in some other molecules...

Strong carrier localization in stacking faults in semipolar (11-22) GaN

Science.gov (United States)

Okur, Serdal; Monavarian, Morteza; Das, Saikat; Izyumskaya, Natalia; Zhang, Fan; Avrutin, Vitaliy; Morkoç, Hadis; Özgür, Ümit

2015-03-01

The effects of stacking faults (SFs) on optical processes in epitaxially grown semipolar (1122) GaN on m-sapphire substrate have been investigated in detail using steady-state photoluminescence (PL) and time- and polarization-resolved PL. We demonstrate that the carrier recombination dynamics are substantially influenced due to strong carrier localization in the stacking faults. In addition to nonradiative recombination, carrier trapping/detrapping and carrier transfer between the stacking faults and donors are also found to be among the mechanisms affecting the recombination dynamics at different temperatures. PL decay times of both I1-type BSF and 3.31 eV SF (E-type BSF or prismatic stacking fault) do not show temperature dependence up to 80 K while 3.31 eV SF exhibits longer PL decay times (~3 ns) at low temperatures as compared to I1-type BSF (~1 ns), indicative of lower efficiency for radiative recombination. After 80 K, PL decay times decreased by power of ~-1 and ~-2 for 3.31 eV SF and I1-type BSF, respectively. It is obtained from radiative decay times with respect to temperature that the carrier localization becomes higher in I1-type BSF compared to 3.31 eV SF increasing the temperature. I1-type BSF also shows higher PL intensity, which is attributed to larger density, and therefore, larger contribution to recombination dynamics as compared to other type of stacking faults. Polarization-resolved PL measurements also revealed that the degree of polarization for the I1-type BSF (0.30) was twice that for the 3.31 eV SF.

Calibration of the charge exchange recombination spectroscopy diagnostic for core poloidal rotation velocity measurements on JET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crombe, K.; Andrew, Y.; Giroud, C.; Hawkes, N.C.; Murari, A.; Valisa, M.; Oost, G. van; Zastrow, K.-D.

2004-01-01

This article describes recent improvements in the measurement of C 6+ impurity ion poloidal rotation velocities in the core plasma of JET using charge exchange recombination spectroscopy. Two independent techniques are used to provide an accurate line calibration. The first method uses a Perkin-Elmer type 303-306 samarium hollow cathode discharge lamp, with a Sm I line at 528.291 nm close to the C VI line at 529.1 nm. The second method uses the Be II at 527.06 nm and C III at 530.47 nm in the plasma spectrum as two marker lines on either side of the C VI line. Since the viewing chords have both a toroidal and poloidal component, it is important to determine the contribution of the toroidal rotation velocity component separately. The toroidal rotation velocity in the plasma core is measured with an independent charge exchange recombination spectroscopy diagnostic, looking tangentially at the plasma core. The contribution of this velocity along the lines of sight of the poloidal rotation diagnostic has been determined experimentally in L-mode plasmas keeping the poloidal component constant (K. Crombe et al., Proc. 30th EPS Conference, St. Petersburg, Russia, 7-11 July 2003, p. 1.55). The results from these experiments are compared with calculations of the toroidal contribution that take into account the original design parameters of the diagnostic and magnetic geometry of individual shots

The impact of ultra-thin titania interlayers on open circuit voltage and carrier lifetime in thin film solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moerman, David; Colbert, Adam E.; Ginger, David S., E-mail: ginger@chem.washington.edu [Department of Chemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195 (United States); Kim, Hyungchul; Graham, Samuel, E-mail: sgraham@gatech.edu [School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332 (United States)

2016-03-14

We study the effects of modifying indium tin oxide electrodes with ultrathin titania (TiO{sub 2}) layers grown via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PE-ALD). We find an optimal thickness of PE-ALD-grown titania by tracking performance, which initially increases, peaks, and eventually decreases with increasing TiO{sub 2} thickness. We use scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) to measure both the local work function and its distribution as a function of TiO{sub 2} thickness. We find that the variance in contact potential difference across the surface of the film is related to either the amorphous or anatase TiO{sub 2} form. Finally, we use local SKPM recombination rate experiments, supported by bulk transient photovoltage and charge extraction measurements. We show that the optimum TiO{sub 2} thickness is the one for which the carrier lifetime is the longest and the charge carrier density is the highest, when the TiO{sub 2} is amorphous, in agreement with the device measurements.

Laser-induced electron--ion recombination used to study enhanced spontaneous recombination during electron cooling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schramm, U.; Wolf, A.; Schuess ler, T.; Habs, D.; Schwalm, D.; Uwira, O.; Linkemann, J.; Mueller, A.

1997-01-01

Spontaneous recombination of highly charged ions with free electrons in merged velocity matched electron and ion beams has been observed in earlier experiments to occur at rates significantly higher than predicted by theoretical estimates. To study this enhanced spontaneous recombination, laser induced recombination spectra were measured both in velocity matched beams and in beams with well defined relative velocities, corresponding to relative electron-ion detuning energies ranging from 1 meV up to 6.5 meV where the spontaneous recombination enhancement was found to be strongly reduced. Based on a comparison with simplified calculations, the development of the recombination spectra for decreasing detuning energies indicates additional contributions at matched velocities which could be related to the energy distribution of electrons causing the spontaneous recombination rate enhancement

Separation and recombinatiuon of charge carriers in solar cells with a nanostructured ZnO electrode; Trennung und Rekombination von Ladungstraegern in Solarzellen mit nanostrukturierter ZnO-Elektrode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tornow, Julian

2010-03-02

The publication investigates electrodes consisting of ZnO nanorods deposited hydrothermally on conductive glass substrate (conductive glass). The electrodes are transparent to visible light and are sensitized for solar cell applications by a light-absorbing layer which in this case consists either of organometallic dye molecules (N3) or of an indium sulfide layer with a thickness of only a few nanometers. Electric contacts for the sensitized electrode are either made of a liquid electrolyte or of a perforated solid electrolyte. Methods of analysis were impedance spectroscopy, time-resolved photocurrent measurements, and time-resolved microwave photoconductivity. A high concentration of up to 10{sup 20} was found in the ZnO nanorods. The dye-sensitized solar cell showed exessively fast recombination with the oxydized dye molecules (sub-{mu}s) but a slow recombination rate with the oxydized redox ions of the electrolyte (ms). In the indium sulfide solar cells, the charges are separated at the contact with the ZnO nanorods while contact with the perforated CuSCN conductor is not charge-separating. Recombination takes place in indium sulfide, directly between the perforated conductor and ZnO, and also via the charge-separating contact with decreasing rates.

Thermal activation of carriers from semiconductor quantum wells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnston, M.B.; Herz, L.M.; Dao, L.V.; Gal, M.; Tan, H.H.; Jagadish, C.

1999-01-01

Full text: We have conducted a systematic investigation of the thermal excitation of carriers in confined states of quantum wells. Carriers may be injected into a sample containing a quantum well electrically or optically, once there they rapidly thermalise and are captured by the confined state of the quantum well. Typically electrons and holes recombine radiatively from their respective quantum well states. As a quantum well sample is heated from low temperatures (∼10K), phonon interactions increase which leads to carriers being excited from the well region into the higher energy, barrier region of the sample. Since carrier recombination from barrier regions is via non-radiative processes, there is strong temperature dependence of photoluminescence from the quantum well region. We measured quantum well photoluminescence as a function of excitation intensity and wavelength over the temperature range from 8K to 300K. In high quality InGaAs quantum wells we found unexpected intensity dependence of the spectrally integrated temperature dependent photoluminescence. We believe that this is evidence for by the existence of saturable states at the interfaces of the quantum wells

Secondary electron emission and self-consistent charge transport in semi-insulating samples

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fitting, H.-J. [Institute of Physics, University of Rostock, Universitaetsplatz 3, D-18051 Rostock (Germany); Touzin, M. [Unite Materiaux et Transformations, UMR CNRS 8207, Universite de Lille 1, F-59655 Villeneuve d' Ascq (France)

2011-08-15

Electron beam induced self-consistent charge transport and secondary electron emission (SEE) in insulators are described by means of an electron-hole flight-drift model (FDM) now extended by a certain intrinsic conductivity (c) and are implemented by an iterative computer simulation. Ballistic secondary electrons (SE) and holes, their attenuation to drifting charge carriers, and their recombination, trapping, and field- and temperature-dependent detrapping are included. As a main result the time dependent ''true'' secondary electron emission rate {delta}(t) released from the target material and based on ballistic electrons and the spatial distributions of currents j(x,t), charges {rho}(x,t), field F(x,t), and potential V(x,t) are obtained where V{sub 0} = V(0,t) presents the surface potential. The intrinsic electronic conductivity limits the charging process and leads to a conduction sample current to the support. In that case the steady-state total SE yield will be fixed below the unit: i.e., {sigma} {eta} + {delta} < 1.

Bi facial silicon solar cell study in modelling in frequency dynamic regime under multispectral illumination: Recombination parameters determination methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

ZERBO Issa

2010-01-01

A bibliographic study on the techniques of characterization of silicon solar cell, diodes, massifs and silicon wafer are presented. The influence of the modulation frequency and recombination in volume and in surface phenomena of on the profiles of carriers' densities, photocurrent and photovoltage has been put in evidence. The study of surface recombination velocities permitted to show that the bi facial silicon solar cell of Back Surface Field type behaves like an ohmic contacts solar cell for modulation frequencies above 40 khz. pplicability in frequency dynamic regime in the frequency range [0 - 40 khz] of three techniques of steady state recombination parameters determination is shown. A technique of diffusion length determination, in the range of (200 Hz - 40 khz] is proposed. It rests on the measurement of the short circuit current phase that is compared with the theoretical curve of short circuit current phase. The intersection of the experimental short circuit current phase and the theoretical curve of short circuit current phase permits to get the minority carriers effective diffusion length. An equivalent electric model of a solar cell in frequency dynamic regime is proposed. A study in modelling of the bi facial solar cell shunt resistance and space charge zone capacity is led from a determination method of these parameters proposed in steady state. (Author [fr

Corneal permeation properties of a charged lipid nanoparticle carrier containing dexamethasone

Science.gov (United States)

Ban, Junfeng; Zhang, Yan; Huang, Xin; Deng, Guanghan; Hou, Dongzhi; Chen, Yanzhong; Lu, Zhufen

2017-01-01

Drug delivery carriers can maintain effective therapeutic concentrations in the eye. To this end, we developed lipid nanoparticles (L/NPs) in which the surface was modified with positively charged chitosan, which engaged in hydrogen bonding with the phospholipid membrane. We evaluated in vitro corneal permeability and release characteristics, ocular irritation, and drug dynamics of modified and unmodified L/NPs in aqueous humor. The size of L/NPs was uniform and showed a narrow distribution. Corneal permeation was altered by the presence of chitosan and was dependent on particle size; the apparent permeability coefficient of dexamethasone increased by 2.7 and 1.8 times for chitosan-modified and unmodified L/NPs, respectively. In conclusion, a chitosan-modified system could be a promising method for increasing the ocular bioavailability of unmodified L/NPs by enhancing their retention time and permeation into the cornea. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the development of effective drug delivery systems in the treatment of ocular disease. PMID:28243093

Relativistic, QED and nuclear effects in highly charged ions revealed by resonant electron-ion recombination in storage rings

OpenAIRE

Schippers, Stefan

2008-01-01

Dielectronic recombination (DR) of few-electron ions has evolved into a sensitive spectroscopic tool for highly charged ions. This is due to technological advances in electron-beam preparation and ion-beam cooling techniques at heavy-ion storage rings. Recent experiments prove unambiguously that DR collision spectroscopy has become sensitive to 2nd order QED and to nuclear effects. This review discusses the most recent developments in high-resolution spectroscopy of low-energy DR resonances, ...

Suppressing Nonradiative Recombination in Crown-Shaped Quantum Wells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Kwangwook [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Ju, Gunwu [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology; Korea Institute of Science and Technology; Na, Byung Hoon [Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology; Hwang, Hyeong-Yong [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology; Jho, Young-Dahl [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology; Myoung, NoSoung [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology; Yim, Sang-Youp [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology; Kim, Hyung-jun [Korea Institute of Science and Technology; Lee, Yong Tak [Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology

2018-02-06

We examined the structural and optical properties of a crown-shaped quantum well (CSQW) to suppress nonradiative recombination. To reduce carrier loss in defect traps at the well/barrier interface, the CSQW was designed to concentrate carriers in the central region by tailoring the bandgap energy. Temperature-dependent photoluminescence measurements showed that the CSQW had a high activation energy and low potential fluctuation. In addition, the long carrier lifetime of the CSQW at high temperatures can be interpreted as indicating a decrease in carrier loss at defect traps.

Chemical vapour deposition diamond. Charge carrier movement at low temperatures and use in time-critical applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jansen, Hendrik

2013-09-01

Diamond, a wide band gap semiconductor with exceptional electrical properties, has found its way in diverse fields of application reaching from the usage as a sensor material for beam loss monitors at particle accelerator facilities, over laser windows, to UV light sensors in space applications, e.g. for space weather forecasting. Though often used at room temperature, little is known about the charge transport in diamond towards liquid helium temperatures. In this work the method of the transient current technique is employed at temperatures between room temperature and 2 K. The temperature and electric field strength dependence of the pulse shape, the charge carrier transit time, the drift velocity, the saturation velocity, and the low-field mobility is measured in detector-grade scCVD diamond. Furthermore, the usability of diamond in time-critical applications is tested, and the main results are presented.

Chemical Vapour Deposition Diamond - Charge Carrier Movement at Low Temperatures and Use in Time-Critical Applications

CERN Document Server

Jansen, Hendrik; Pernegger, Heinz

Diamond, a wide band gap semiconductor with exceptional electrical properties, has found its way in diverse fields of application reaching from the usage as a sensor material for beam loss monitors at particle accelerator facilities, to laser windows, to UV light sensors in space applications, e.g. for space weather forecasting. Though often used at room temperature, little is known about the charge transport in diamond towards liquid helium temperatures. In this work the method of the transient current technique is employed at temperatures between room temperature and 2 K. The temperature and electric field strength dependence of the pulse shape, the charge carrier transit time, the drift velocity, the saturation velocity, and the low-field mobility is measured in detector-grade scCVD diamond. Furthermore, the usability of diamond in time-critical applications is tested, and the main results are presented.

First measurement of the edge charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on EAST tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Y. Y., E-mail: liyy@ipp.ac.cn; Fu, J.; Jiang, D.; Lyu, B.; Hu, C. D.; Wan, B. N. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); Yin, X. H.; Feng, S. Y. [Institute of Plasma Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei (China); School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Shi, Y. J. [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Department of Nuclear Engineering, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742 (Korea, Republic of); Yi, Y.; Ye, M. Y. [School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei (China); Zhou, X. J. [Anhui Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China)

2016-11-15

An edge toroidal charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (eCXRS) diagnostic, based on a heating neutral beam injection (NBI), has been deployed recently on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST). The eCXRS, which aims to measure the plasma ion temperature and toroidal rotation velocity in the edge region simultaneously, is a complement to the exiting core CXRS (cCXRS). Two rows with 32 fiber channels each cover a radial range from ∼2.15 m to ∼2.32 m with a high spatial resolution of ∼5-7 mm. Charge exchange emission of Carbon VI CVI at 529.059 nm induced by the NBI is routinely observed, but can be tuned to any interested wavelength in the spectral range from 400 to 700 nm. Double-slit fiber bundles increase the number of channels, the fibers viewing the same radial position are binned on the CCD detector to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, enabling shorter exposure time down to 5 ms. One channel is connected to a neon lamp, which provides the real-time wavelength calibration on a shot-to-shot basis. In this paper, an overview of the eCXRS diagnostic on EAST is presented and the first results from the 2015 experimental campaign will be shown. Good agreements in ion temperature and toroidal rotation are obtained between the eCXRS and cCXRS systems.

Carrier injection and recombination processes in perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells studied by electroluminescence spectroscopy

Science.gov (United States)

Handa, Taketo; Okano, Makoto; Tex, David M.; Shimazaki, Ai; Aharen, Tomoko; Wakamiya, Atsushi; Kanemitsu, Yoshihiko

2016-02-01

Organic-inorganic hybrid perovskite materials, CH3NH3PbX3 (X = I and Br), are considered as promising candidates for emerging thin-film photovoltaics. For practical implementation, the degradation mechanism and the carrier dynamics during operation have to be clarified. We investigated the degradation mechanism and the carrier injection and recombination processes in perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells using photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL) imaging spectroscopies. By applying forward bias-voltage, an inhomogeneous distribution of the EL intensity was clearly observed from the CH3NH3PbI3 solar cells. By comparing the PL- and EL-images, we revealed that the spatial inhomogeneity of the EL intensity is a result of the inhomogeneous luminescence efficiency in the perovskite layer. An application of bias-voltage for several tens of minutes in air caused a decrease in the EL intensity and the conversion efficiency of the perovskite solar cells. The degradation mechanism of perovskite solar cells under bias-voltage in air is discussed.

Impacts of Carrier Transport and Deep Level Defects on Delayed Cathodoluminescence in Droop-Mitigating InGaN/GaN LEDs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhao, Zhibo; Singh, Akshay; Chesin, Jordan; Armitage, Rob; Wildeson, Isaac; Deb, Parijat; Armstrong, Andrew; Kisslinger, Kim; Stach, Eric; Gradecak, Silvija

2017-07-25

Prevalent droop mitigation strategies in InGaN-based LEDs require structural and/or compositional changes in the active region but are accompanied by a detrimental reduction in external quantum efficiency (EQE) due to increased Shockley-Read-Hall recombination. Understanding the optoelectronic impacts of structural modifications in InGaN/GaN quantum wells (QW) remains critical for emerging high-power LEDs. In this work, we use a combination of electron microscopy tools along with standard electrical characterization to investigate a wide range of low-droop InGaN/GaN QW designs. We find that chip-scale EQE is uncorrelated with extended well-width fluctuations observed in scanning transmission electron microscopy. Further, we observe delayed cathodoluminescence (CL) response from designs in which calculated band profiles suggest facile carrier escape from individual QWs. Samples with the slowest CL responses also exhibit the lowest EQEs and highest QW defect densities in deep level optical spectroscopy. We propose a model in which the electron beam (i) passivates deep level defect states and (ii) drives charge carrier accumulation and subsequent reduction of the built-in field across the multi-QW active region, resulting in delayed radiative recombination. Finally, we correlate CL rise dynamics with capacitance-voltage measurements and show that certain early-time components of the CL dynamics reflect the open circuit carrier population within one or more QWs.

Doping effect on photoabsorption and charge-separation dynamics in light-harvesting organic molecule

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Satoshi Ohmura

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Using ab-initio theoretical methods, we demonstrate possible enhancement of photo-conversion efficiency of an organic solar cell via intentional doping in molecular graphene-fullerene heterojunction [the hexabenzocoronene (HBC-triethylene glycol (TEG–C60 molecule]. Photoabsorption analysis indicates oxygen substitution into HBC leads to an extension of the spectra up to an infrared regime. A quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics simulation incorporating nonadiabatic electronic transitions reveals that a dissociated charge state (D+ and A- in the O-doped system is more stable than the pristine case due to the presence of an effective barrier by the TEG HOMO/LUMO level. We also find that oxygen doping in HBC enhances the intermolecular carrier mobility after charge separation. On the other hand, the pristine molecule undergoes rapid recombination between donor and acceptor charges at the interface. These analyses suggest that the graphene oxidation opens a new window in the application of organic super-molecules to solar cells.

Doping effect on photoabsorption and charge-separation dynamics in light-harvesting organic molecule

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ohmura, Satoshi, E-mail: s.ohmura.m4@cc.it-hiroshima.ac.jp [Research Center for Condensed Matter Physics, Department of Civil Engineering and Urban Design, Hiroshima Institute of Technology, Hiroshima 731-5193 (Japan); Tsuruta, Kenji [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530 (Japan); Shimojo, Fuyuki [Department of Physics, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto 860-8555 Japan (Japan); Nakano, Aiichiro [Collaboratory for Advanced Computing and Simulations, Department of Computer Science, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, CA90089-024 (United States)

2016-01-15

Using ab-initio theoretical methods, we demonstrate possible enhancement of photo-conversion efficiency of an organic solar cell via intentional doping in molecular graphene-fullerene heterojunction [the hexabenzocoronene (HBC)-triethylene glycol (TEG)–C{sub 60} molecule]. Photoabsorption analysis indicates oxygen substitution into HBC leads to an extension of the spectra up to an infrared regime. A quantum-mechanical molecular dynamics simulation incorporating nonadiabatic electronic transitions reveals that a dissociated charge state (D{sup +} and A{sup -}) in the O-doped system is more stable than the pristine case due to the presence of an effective barrier by the TEG HOMO/LUMO level. We also find that oxygen doping in HBC enhances the intermolecular carrier mobility after charge separation. On the other hand, the pristine molecule undergoes rapid recombination between donor and acceptor charges at the interface. These analyses suggest that the graphene oxidation opens a new window in the application of organic super-molecules to solar cells.

Determination of energy band diagram and charge carrier mobility of white emitting polymer from optical, electrical and impedance spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohd Sarjidan, M.A., E-mail: mohd.arif@um.edu.my; Mohd Mokhtar, H.A.; Abd Majid, W.H., E-mail: q3haliza@um.edu.my

2015-03-15

A single-layer white polymer light-emitting device (WPLED) has been fabricated using spin coating technique. The device was constructed as ITO/PEDOT:PSS(50 nm)/SPW-111(50 nm)/LiF(1 nm)/Al(100 nm). Indium tin oxide (ITO) and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) are used as the transparent anode. SPW-111 is fabricated as a white emissive layer and lithium fluoride (LiF) and aluminum (Al) are used as reflecting cathode. Energy band diagram of the device was estimated from a combination of ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) and current–voltage (J–V) analyses. Charge carrier mobility (μ) of PLED was evaluated using negative differential susceptance (−ΔB) method from impedance spectroscopy (IS) analysis. The calculated μ of the SPW-111 device is in the magnitude of 10{sup −6} cm{sup 2}/V/s. - Highlights: • Single layer PLED has been fabricated with spin-coating technique and device performance has been evaluated. • Energy band diagram of the SPW-111 is estimated from optical and electrical analyses. • Charge carrier mobility of the SPW-111 materials is obtained by impedance spectroscopy.

The deduction of low-Z ion temperature and densities in the JET tokamak using charge exchange recombination spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boileau, A.; Hellermann, M. von; Horton, L.D.; Spence, J.; Summers, H.P.

1989-01-01

A charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) diagnostic has been established on JET to study fully stripped low-Z species. Ion temperature in the plasma centre is measured from visible lines of helium, carbon and oxygen excited by charge exchange with heating neutral beam particles. Coincident cold components produced at the plasma edge are apparent on helium and carbon spectra and most spectra are subject to accidental blending from other species' edge plasma emission. The charge exchange feature can be isolated from the various composite lines and all three impurities agree on the same temperature within experimental error. Observed column emissivities are converted into absolute impurity densities using a neutral beam attenuation code and charge exchange effective rate coefficients. Comprehensive new calculations have been performed to obtain the effective rate coefficients. The models take detailed account of cascading and the influence of the plasma environment in causing l-mixing, and allow the n-dependence of the rate coefficients to be addressed experimentally. The effective ion charge reconstructed from simultaneous measurements of the densities of dominant impurities shows good agreement with the value inferred from visible Bremsstrahlung. Some illustrative results are shown for helium (helium discharge or minority r.f.. heating), carbon and oxygen concentrations monitored during characteristic operating regimes. (author)

Enhanced visible light absorption and reduced charge recombination in AgNP plasmonic photoelectrochemical cell

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samaila Buda

Full Text Available In this research work, silver nanoparticles (AgNP were synthesized using a simple solvothermal technique, the obtained AgNP were used to prepare a titania/silver (TiO2/Ag nanocomposites with varied amount of Ag contents and used to fabricated a photoanode of dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS was used to ascertain the presence of silver in the nanocomposite. A photoluminance (PL spectra of the nanocomposite powder shows a low PL activity which indicates a reduced election- hole recombination within the material. UV–vis spectra reveal that the Ag in the DSSC photoanode enhances the light absorption of the solar cell device within the visible range between λ = 382 nm and 558 nm nm owing to its surface plasmon resonance effect. Power conversion efficiency was enhanced from 4.40% for the pure TiO2 photoanode based device to 6.56% for the device fabricated with TiO2/Ag due to the improvement of light harvesting caused by the localized surface plasmonic resonance effect of AgNP. The improvement of power conversion was also achieved due to the reduced charge recombination within the photoanode. Keywords: Nanoparticle, Silver, Plasmonic, Power, Photon

Electronic recombination in some physics problems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guzman, O.

1988-01-01

This work is related to calculations of electronic recombination rates, as a function of electronic density, electronic temperature, and ion nuclear charge. Recombination times can be calculated and compared to cooling time, in cooling processes of ion beans by electrons from storage rings. (A.C.A.S.) [pt

Concentration dependent carriers dynamics in CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystals film with transient grating

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yinghui; Wang, Yanting; Dev Verma, Sachin; Tan, Mingrui; Liu, Qinghui; Yuan, Qilin; Sui, Ning; Kang, Zhihui; Zhou, Qiang; Zhang, Han-Zhuang

2017-05-01

The concentration dependence of the carrier dynamics is a key parameter to describe the photo-physical properties of semiconductor films. Here, we investigate the carrier dynamics in the CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystal film by employing the transient grating (TG) technique with continuous bias light. The concentration of initial carriers is determined by the average number of photons per nanocrystals induced by pump light (⟨N⟩). The multi-body interaction would appear and accelerate the TG dynamics with ⟨N⟩. When ⟨N⟩ is more than 3.0, the TG dynamics slightly changes, which implies that the Auger recombination would be the highest order multi-body interaction in carrier recombination dynamics. The concentration of non-equilibrium carriers in the film is controlled by the average number of photons per nanocrystals excited by continuous bias light (⟨nne⟩). Increasing ⟨nne⟩ would improve the trapping-detrapping process by filling the trapping state, which would accelerate the carrier diffusion and add the complexity of the mono-molecular recombination mechanism. The results should be useful to further understand the mechanism of carrier dynamics in the CsPbBr3 perovskite nanocrystal film and of great importance for the operation of the corresponding optoelectronic devices.

MODELLING OF CHARGE CARRIER MOBILITY FOR TRANSPORT BETWEEN ELASTIC POLYACETYLENE-LIKE POLYMER NANORODS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Mensik

2017-03-01

Full Text Available A quantum model solving the charge carrier mobility between polyacetylene-like polymer nanorods is presented. The model assumes: a Quantum mechanical calculation of hole on-chain delocalization involving electron-phonon coupling leading to the Peierls instability, b Hybridization coupling between the polymer backbone and side-groups (or environmental states, which act as hole traps, and c Semiclassical description of the inter-chain hole transfer in an applied voltage based on Marcus theory. We have found that mobility resonantly depends on the hybridization coupling between polymer and linked groups. We observed also non-trivial mobility dependences on the difference of energies of the highest occupied molecular orbitals localized on the polymer backbone and side-groups, respectively, and hole concentration. Those findings are important for optimization of hybrid opto-electronic devices.

Real-time observation of intersystem crossing induced by charge recombination during bimolecular electron transfer reactions

KAUST Repository

Alsam, Amani Abdu

2016-09-21

Real-time probing of intersystem crossing (ISC) and triplet-state formation after photoinduced electron transfer (ET) is a particularly challenging task that can be achieved by time-resolved spectroscopy with broadband capability. Here, we examine the mechanism of charge separation (CS), charge recombination (CR) and ISC of bimolecular photoinduced electron transfer (PET) between poly[(9,9-di(3,3′-N,N’-trimethyl-ammonium) propyl fluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-alt-co-(9,9-dioctyl-fluorenyl-2,7-diyl)] diiodide salt (PFN) and dicyanobenzene (DCB) using time-resolved spectroscopy. PET from PFN to DCB is confirmed by monitoring the transient absorption (TA) and infrared spectroscopic signatures for the radical ion pair (DCB─•-PFN+•). In addition, our time-resolved results clearly demonstrate that CS takes place within picoseconds followed by CR within nanoseconds. The ns-TA data exhibit the clear spectroscopic signature of PFN triplet-triplet absorption, induced by the CR of the radical ion pairs (DCB─•-PFN+•). As a result, the triplet state of PFN (3PFN*) forms and subsequently, the ground singlet state is replenished within microseconds. © 2016

High spatial and temporal resolution charge exchange recombination spectroscopy on the HL-2A tokamak

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wei, Y. L.; Yu, D. L., E-mail: yudl@swip.ac.cn; Liu, L.; Cao, J. Y.; Sun, A. P.; Ma, Q.; Chen, W. J.; Liu, Yi; Yan, L. W.; Yang, Q. W.; Duan, X. R.; Liu, Yong [Southwestern Institute of Physics, Chengdu 610041 (China); Ida, K. [National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki 509-5292 (Japan); Hellermann, M. von [ITER Diagnostic Team, IO, Route de Vinon sur Verdon, 13115 St Paul lez Durance (France); FOM-Institute for Plasma physics “Rijnhuizen,” Association EURATOM, Trilateral Euregio Cluster, 3430 BE Nieuwegein (Netherlands)

2014-10-01

A 32/64-channel charge exchange recombination spectroscopy (CXRS) diagnostic system is developed on the HL-2A tokamak (R = 1.65 m, a = 0.4 m), monitoring plasma ion temperature and toroidal rotation velocity simultaneously. A high throughput spectrometer (F/2.8) and a pitch-controlled fiber bundle enable the temporal resolution of the system up to 400 Hz. The observation geometry and an optimized optic system enable the highest radial resolution up to ~1 cm at the plasma edge. The CXRS system monitors the carbon line emission (C VI, n = 8–7, 529.06 nm) whose Doppler broadening and Doppler shift provide ion temperature and plasma rotation velocity during the neutral beam injection. The composite CX spectral data are analyzed by the atomic data and analysis structure charge exchange spectroscopy fitting (ADAS CXSFIT) code. First experimental results are shown for the case of HL-2A plasmas with sawtooth oscillations, electron cyclotron resonance heating, and edge transport barrier during the high-confinement mode (H-mode)

Charge exchange recombination in X-ray spectra of He-like argon measured at the tokamak TEXTOR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schlummer, Tobias

2014-06-16

Charge exchange recombination between ions and atomic hydrogen is an important atomic process in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. Besides radiative cooling of the plasma edge, charge exchange causes modifications of the ionization balance and the population densities of excited ion states. The central goal of this work is to investigate the influence of charge exchange on X-ray spectra measured at the tokamak TEXTOR. A new 2D X-ray spectrometer developed for future use at the stellarator W7-X was recently installed at TEXTOR. The spectrometer is optimized for measuring the K{sub α}-spectrum of He-like argon (1s2l - 1s{sup 2}) at wavelengths close to 4 Aa. K{sub α}-spectroscopy on He-like impurity ions is an established diagnostic for electron and ion temperature measurements in fusion plasmas. Still, up to now the observed intensity ratios of the K{sub α}-lines and their associated satellites are not fully understood. They show significant deviations from the predictions made by basic corona models. In the past charge exchange with the neutral particle background and radial impurity transport have been discussed as likely explanations. Yet a detailed description of the experimental spectra still has not been achieved. To reconstruct the 2D K{sub α}-spectra measured at TEXTOR the radial argon ion distribution is modeled using an impurity transport code. The model accounts for charge exchange and transport on basis of given radial profiles of the neutral particle density n{sub 0}(r) and the diffusion coefficient D {sub perpendicular} {sub to} (r). The theoretical spectrum is then constructed based on the processes relevant for line emission. Within an iterative procedure n{sub 0}(r) and D {sub perpendicular} {sub to} (r) are varied until consistency between the theoretical and the experimental spectra is achieved. It is shown that the 2D K{sub α}-spectra allow a clear distinction of charge exchange and transport effects, ensuring unique solutions for n

Carrier collection losses in interface passivated amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neumüller, A.; Sergeev, O.; Vehse, M.; Agert, C.; Bereznev, S.; Volobujeva, O.; Ewert, M.; Falta, J.

2016-01-01

In silicon thin-film solar cells the interface between the i- and p-layer is the most critical. In the case of back diffusion of photogenerated minority carriers to the i/p-interface, recombination occurs mainly on the defect states at the interface. To suppress this effect and to reduce recombination losses, hydrogen plasma treatment (HPT) is usually applied. As an alternative to using state of the art HPT we apply an argon plasma treatment (APT) before the p-layer deposition in n-i-p solar cells. To study the effect of APT, several investigations were applied to compare the results with HPT and no plasma treatment at the interface. Carrier collection losses in resulting solar cells were examined with spectral response measurements with and without bias voltage. To investigate single layers, surface photovoltage and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were conducted. The results with APT at the i/p-interface show a beneficial contribution to the carrier collection compared with HPT and no plasma treatment. Therefore, it can be concluded that APT reduces the recombination centers at the interface. Further, we demonstrate that carrier collection losses of thin-film solar cells are significantly lower with APT.

Carrier collection losses in interface passivated amorphous silicon thin-film solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neumüller, A., E-mail: alex.neumueller@next-energy.de; Sergeev, O.; Vehse, M.; Agert, C. [NEXT ENERGY EWE Research Centre for Energy Technology at the University of Oldenburg, Carl-von-Ossietzky-Straße 15, 26129 Oldenburg (Germany); Bereznev, S.; Volobujeva, O. [Department of Materials Science, Tallinn University of Technology, Ehitajate Tee 5, Tallinn 19086 (Estonia); Ewert, M.; Falta, J. [Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Bremen, Otto-Hahn-Allee 1, 28359 Bremen (Germany); MAPEX Center for Materials and Processes, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen (Germany)

2016-07-25

In silicon thin-film solar cells the interface between the i- and p-layer is the most critical. In the case of back diffusion of photogenerated minority carriers to the i/p-interface, recombination occurs mainly on the defect states at the interface. To suppress this effect and to reduce recombination losses, hydrogen plasma treatment (HPT) is usually applied. As an alternative to using state of the art HPT we apply an argon plasma treatment (APT) before the p-layer deposition in n-i-p solar cells. To study the effect of APT, several investigations were applied to compare the results with HPT and no plasma treatment at the interface. Carrier collection losses in resulting solar cells were examined with spectral response measurements with and without bias voltage. To investigate single layers, surface photovoltage and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements were conducted. The results with APT at the i/p-interface show a beneficial contribution to the carrier collection compared with HPT and no plasma treatment. Therefore, it can be concluded that APT reduces the recombination centers at the interface. Further, we demonstrate that carrier collection losses of thin-film solar cells are significantly lower with APT.

Charge transport in electrically doped amorphous organic semiconductors.

Science.gov (United States)

Yoo, Seung-Jun; Kim, Jang-Joo

2015-06-01

This article reviews recent progress on charge generation by doping and its influence on the carrier mobility in organic semiconductors (OSs). The doping induced charge generation efficiency is generally low in OSs which was explained by the integer charge transfer model and the hybrid charge transfer model. The ionized dopants formed by charge transfer between hosts and dopants can act as Coulomb traps for mobile charges, and the presence of Coulomb traps in OSs broadens the density of states (DOS) in doped organic films. The Coulomb traps strongly reduce the carrier hopping rate and thereby change the carrier mobility, which was confirmed by experiments in recent years. In order to fully understand the doping mechanism in OSs, further quantitative and systematic analyses of charge transport characteristics must be accomplished. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Terahertz carrier dynamics in graphene and graphene nanostructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Søren A.; Turchinovich, Dmitry; Tielrooij, Klaas Jan

2014-01-01

Photoexcited charge carriers in 2D graphene and in 1D graphene nanostructures were studied with optical pump-THz probe spectroscopy. We find efficient hot-carrier multiplication in 2D graphene, and predominantly free carrier early time response in 1D nanostructures. © 2014 OSA....

Insight into carrier lifetime impact on band-modulation devices

Science.gov (United States)

Parihar, Mukta Singh; Lee, Kyung Hwa; Park, Hyung Jin; Lacord, Joris; Martinie, Sébastien; Barbé, Jean-Charles; Xu, Yue; El Dirani, Hassan; Taur, Yuan; Cristoloveanu, Sorin; Bawedin, Maryline

2018-05-01

A systematic study to model and characterize the band-modulation Z2-FET device is developed bringing light to the relevance of the carrier lifetime influence. This work provides guidelines to optimize the Z2-FETs for sharp switching, ESD protection, and 1T-DRAM applications. Lower carrier lifetime in the Z2-FET helps in attaining the sharp switch. We provide new insights into the correlation between generation/recombination, diffusion, electrostatic barriers and carrier lifetime.

Cascading electron and hole transfer dynamics in a CdS/CdTe core-shell sensitized with bromo-pyrogallol red (Br-PGR): slow charge recombination in type II regime.

Science.gov (United States)

Maity, Partha; Debnath, Tushar; Chopra, Uday; Ghosh, Hirendra Nath

2015-02-14

Ultrafast cascading hole and electron transfer dynamics have been demonstrated in a CdS/CdTe type II core-shell sensitized with Br-PGR using transient absorption spectroscopy and the charge recombination dynamics have been compared with those of CdS/Br-PGR composite materials. Steady state optical absorption studies suggest that Br-PGR forms strong charge transfer (CT) complexes with both the CdS QD and CdS/CdTe core-shell. Hole transfer from the photo-excited QD and QD core-shell to Br-PGR was confirmed by both steady state and time-resolved emission spectroscopy. Charge separation was also confirmed by detecting electrons in the conduction band of the QD and the cation radical of Br-PGR as measured from femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Charge separation in the CdS/Br-PGR composite materials was found to take place in three different pathways, by transferring the photo-excited hole of CdS to Br-PGR, electron injection from the photo-excited Br-PGR to the CdS QD, and direct electron transfer from the HOMO of Br-PGR to the conduction band of the CdS QD. However, in the CdS/CdTe/Br-PGR system hole transfer from the photo-excited CdS to Br-PGR and electron injection from the photo-excited Br-PGR to CdS take place after cascading through the CdTe shell QD. Charge separation also takes place via direct electron transfer from the Br-PGR HOMO to the conduction band of CdS/CdTe. Charge recombination (CR) dynamics between the electron in the conduction band of the CdS QD and the Br-PGR cation radical were determined by monitoring the bleach recovery kinetics. The CR dynamics were found to be much slower in the CdS/CdTe/Br-PGR system than in the CdS/Br-PGR system. The formation of the strong CT complex and the separation of charges cascading through the CdTe shell help to slow down charge recombination in the type II regime.

Minority-carrier lifetime in InP as a function of light bias

Science.gov (United States)

Yater, Jane A.; Weinberg, I.; Jenkins, Phillip P.; Landis, Geoffrey A.

1995-01-01

Minority-carrier lifetime in InP is studied as a function of doping level and laser intensity using time-resolved photoluminescence. A continuous wave diode laser illuminates bulk InP and acts as a light bias, injecting a steady-state concentration of carriers. A 200 ps laser pulse produces a small transient signal on top of the steady-state luminescence, allowing lifetime to be measured directly as a function of incident intensity. For p-InP, lifetime increases with light bias up to a maximum value. Bulk recombination centers are presumably filled to saturation, allowing minority carriers to live longer. The saturation bias scales with dopant concentration for a particular dopant species. As light bias is increased for n-InP, minority-carrier lifetime increases slightly but then decreases, suggesting radiative recombination as a dominant decay mechanism.

Investigations of the signal production in liquid-ionization-chambers by the passage of strongly ionizing particles and a now theoretical description of recombination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Supper, R.

1991-12-01

Starting from the original Onsager-theory an extended theory is presented describing the recombination of charge carriers and of signal production in TMS (tetramethylsilane) liquid ionization chambers. The shielding by the impurities of the liquid is explicitly taken into account. By dedicated measurements various parameter dependencies of the theory are checked and the parameter values are experimentally determined. The studies comprise test procedures of the TMS chamber operation and are in context of a hadron calorimeter set up of the cosmic ray experiment KASCADE. (orig.) [de

Charge carrier mobility in poly[methyl(phenyl)silylene] studied by time-resolved terahertz spectroscopy and molecular modeling

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Němec, Hynek; Kratochvílová, Irena; Kužel, Petr; Šebera, Jakub; Kochalska, Anna; Nožár, Juraj; Nešpůrek, Stanislav

2011-01-01

Roč. 13, č. 7 (2011), s. 2850-2856 ISSN 1463-9076 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GP202/09/P099; GA ČR GA203/08/1594; GA AV ČR KAN401770651; GA MŠk LC512; GA ČR(CZ) GAP304/10/1951 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100520; CEZ:AV0Z40500505 Keywords : molecular electronics * THz spectroscopy * charge carrier mobility Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 3.573, year: 2011

Manipulation of stored charge in anodic aluminium oxide/SiO2 dielectric stacks by the use of pulsed anodisation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, Zhong; Ouyang, Zi; Grant, Nicholas; Wan, Yimao; Yan, Di; Lennon, Alison

2016-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Pulse anodisation was used to grow AAO layers with controllable stored charge. • Stored charge density ranging from −5.2 × 10 11 to 2.5 × 10 12 q/cm 2 was demonstrated. • Enhancement in surface passivation was demonstrated with charge management. • Annealing significantly reduces the positive stored charge and the interface defect. - Abstract: A method of fabricating anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) with the capability of manipulating its stored charge is reported. This method involves the use of a pulsed current source to anodise aluminium layers instead of the typically used constant current/voltage source, with the test structures experiencing positive and negative cycles periodically. By tuning the positive cycle percentage, it is demonstrated that the effective stored charge density can be manipulated in a range from −5.2 × 10 11 to 2.5 × 10 12 q/cm 2 when the AAO is formed over a 12 nm SiO 2 layer. An investigation of the stored charge distribution in the dielectric stacks indicates a positive fixed charge at the SiO 2 /Si interface, a negative fixed charge at the AAO/SiO 2 interface and a positive bulk charge within the AAO layer. The effective stored charge density and interface states were found to be affected by annealing conditions and it is suggested that oxygen annealing can reduce the bulk positive charge while post-metallisation anneal is most effective in reducing silicon interface defects. Charge manipulation using pulsed anodisation is shown to reduce carrier recombination on boron-diffused silicon surfaces highlighting the potential of the process to be used to tune the electrical properties of dielectric layers so that they can reduce surface recombination on silicon surfaces having different dopant polarity and concentrations.

Carrier confinement effects of InxGa1-xN/GaN multi quantum disks with GaN surface barriers grown in GaN nanorods

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Youngsin; Chan, Christopher C. S.; Taylor, Robert A.; Kim, Nammee; Jo, Yongcheol; Lee, Seung W.; Yang, Woochul; Im, Hyunsik

2018-04-01

Structural and optical properties of InxGa1-xN/GaN multi quantum disks (QDisks) grown on GaN nanorods by molecular beam epitaxy have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy and micro-photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Two types of InGaN QDisks were grown: a pseudo-3D confined InGaN pillar-type QDisks embedded in GaN nanorods; and QDisks in flanged cone type GaN nanorods. The PL emission peak and excitation dependent PL behavior of the pillar-type Qdisks differ greatly from those of the flanged cone type QDisks. Time resolved PL was carried out to probe the differences in charge carrier dynamics. The results suggest that by constraining the formation of InGaN QDisks within the centre of the nanorod, carriers are restricted from migrating to the surface, decreasing the surface recombination at high carrier densities.

Analysis of the photo voltage decay /PVD/ method for measuring minority carrier lifetimes in P-N junction solar cells

Science.gov (United States)

Von Roos, O.

1981-01-01

The photo voltage decay (PVD) method for the measurement of minority carrier lifetimes in P-N junction solar cells with cell thickness comparable to or even less than the minority carrier diffusion length is examined. The method involves the generation of free carriers in the quasi-neutral bulk material by flashes of light and the monitoring of the subsequent decay of the induced open-circuit voltages as the carriers recombine, which is dependent on minority carrier recombination lifetime. It is shown that the voltage versus time curve for an ordinary solar cell (N(+)-P junction) is proportional to the inverse minority carrier lifetime plus a factor expressing the ratio of diffusion length to cell thickness. In the case of an ideal back-surface-field cell (N(+)-P-P(+) junction) however, the slope is directly proportional to the inverse minority carrier lifetime. It is noted that since most BSF cells are not ideal, possessing a sizable back surface recombination velocity, the PVD measurements must be treated with caution and supplemented with other nonstationary methods.

Two-frequency method for measuring Hall emf in high-resistive materials with charge-carrier low mobility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aleksandrov, A.L.; Vedeneev, A.S.; Gulyaev, I.B.; Zhdan, A.G.

1982-01-01

A facility for measuring Hall emf in high-resistive materials with low mobility of charge carriers by the two-frequency method using digital synchronous integration is described. The facility permits to detect the minimum Hall emf approxamatety equat to 5 μV at approximatety equal to 1 T Ohm of the investigated.sample resistance during the measuring time of approximately equal to 2000 s. Sensitivity by Hall mobility makes up >= 0.01 cm 2 /Vxs at the same measuring time. Measuring results of the Hall emf on GaAs monocrystals, CdSe films and island film of gold are presented

Different segregation patterns in five carriers due to a pericentric inversion of chromosome 1.

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Yuqin; Xu, Chenming; Sun, Yixi; Wang, Liya; Chen, Songchang; Jin, Fan

2014-12-01

Pericentric inversion can produce recombinant gametes; however, meiotic segregation studies on the relationship between the frequency of recombinants and the inverted segment size are rare. Triple-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed to analyze the meiotic behavior in five inv(1) carriers with different breakpoints. Recombination gametes were absent in Patient 1, whereas the percentages of the recombinants in Patients 2, 3, 4, and 5 were of 9.2%, 15.3%, 17.3%, and 40.9%, respectively. A significant difference was present for the frequencies of the recombinant spermatozoa among the five patients (p 0.05). The meiotic segregation of nine inv(1) carriers (including those presented in this paper) is now available. A significant correlation was discovered between the rate of recombination and the proportion of the chromosome implicated in the inversion (R = 0.9435, p < 0.001). The frequency of the recombinant gametes was directly related to the proportion of the chromosome that was inverted. Sperm-FISH allowed an additional comprehension of the patterns of meiotic segregation and provided accurate genetic counseling.

Investigation on Interfacial Charge Transfer Process in CdSexTe1-x Alloyed Quantum Dot Sensitized Solar Cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Huiyun; Wang, Guoshuai; Luo, Yanhong; Li, Dongmei; Meng, Qingbo

2015-01-01

Colloidal QDs, typically, alloyed QDs with extending light absorption range, exhibit prospective application on quantum dot-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). In this work, CdSe 0.8 Te 0.2 alloyed QDs have been employed to assemble QDSCs, and the influence of the photoanode structure and film thickness on the cell performance has been investigated in detail. Further study on the charge transport and interfacial electron transfer processes reveals that with the film thickness increasing, recombination possibility will be remarkably enhanced. By careful control on the balance between the light absorption and carrier recombination, an optimal double-layer photoanode structure with 11.5 μm-thickness transparent and 6 μm-thickness scattering layers can present a power conversion efficiency of 7.55%, which is one of the best records for the sandwiched-type QDSCs

Selective laser-induced photochemical dry etching of semiconductors controlled by ion-bombardment-induced damage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashby, C.I.H.; Myers, D.R.; Vook, F.L.

1987-01-01

When a photochemical dry etching process requires direct participation of photogenerated carriers in the chemical reaction, it is sensitive to the electronic properties of the semiconductor. For such solid-excitation-based dry etching processes, the balance between reaction and carrier recombination rates determines the practical utility of a particular reaction for device fabrication. The distance from the surface at which the photocarriers are generated by light adsorption is determined by the absorption coefficient. In the absence of an external bias potential, only those carriers formed within a diffusion length of the surface space-charge region will have an opportunity to drive the dry etching reaction. When the absorption coefficient is high, most of the photons generate carriers within a diffusion length from the surface space-charge region, and the etching rate is largely determined by the balance between the rate of the carrier-driven reaction and the surface recombination velocity. When the recombination rate of free carriers in the bulk of the semiconductor is high, the effective diffusion length is reduced and fewer of the carriers generated in the subsurface region ever reach the surface. An important effect of ion bombardment is the creation of many lattice defects that increase the rate of recombination of electrons and holes. When a sufficient number of defects, which act as recombination sites, are formed during ion implantation, the recombination of photogenerated carriers at these defects in the subsurface region can greatly reduce the number of carriers which can reach the surface and drive a photochemical etching reaction

Manipulation of stored charge in anodic aluminium oxide/SiO{sub 2} dielectric stacks by the use of pulsed anodisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lu, Zhong, E-mail: z.lu@unsw.edu.au [School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Ouyang, Zi [School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia); Grant, Nicholas; Wan, Yimao; Yan, Di [Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200 (Australia); Lennon, Alison [School of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 (Australia)

2016-02-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Pulse anodisation was used to grow AAO layers with controllable stored charge. • Stored charge density ranging from −5.2 × 10{sup 11} to 2.5 × 10{sup 12} q/cm{sup 2} was demonstrated. • Enhancement in surface passivation was demonstrated with charge management. • Annealing significantly reduces the positive stored charge and the interface defect. - Abstract: A method of fabricating anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) with the capability of manipulating its stored charge is reported. This method involves the use of a pulsed current source to anodise aluminium layers instead of the typically used constant current/voltage source, with the test structures experiencing positive and negative cycles periodically. By tuning the positive cycle percentage, it is demonstrated that the effective stored charge density can be manipulated in a range from −5.2 × 10{sup 11} to 2.5 × 10{sup 12} q/cm{sup 2} when the AAO is formed over a 12 nm SiO{sub 2} layer. An investigation of the stored charge distribution in the dielectric stacks indicates a positive fixed charge at the SiO{sub 2}/Si interface, a negative fixed charge at the AAO/SiO{sub 2} interface and a positive bulk charge within the AAO layer. The effective stored charge density and interface states were found to be affected by annealing conditions and it is suggested that oxygen annealing can reduce the bulk positive charge while post-metallisation anneal is most effective in reducing silicon interface defects. Charge manipulation using pulsed anodisation is shown to reduce carrier recombination on boron-diffused silicon surfaces highlighting the potential of the process to be used to tune the electrical properties of dielectric layers so that they can reduce surface recombination on silicon surfaces having different dopant polarity and concentrations.