Spike in transient photocurrent of organic solar cell: Exciton dissociation at interface

Abstract

The effect of exciton interfacial dissociation on transient photocurrent (TPC) in a single-layer organic solar cell is investigated within a time-dependent device model. The spike observed in TPC experiments is attributed to exciton dissociation at the electrode/organic interface. In comparison with the observed negative signal of transient photovoltage (TPV), the spike more directly reflects the charge processes at the interface. Moreover, numerical results show that the spike of TPC is sensitive to the voltage applied on the device and the hole mobility of the organic semiconductor. Further investigation on the spike by the favorable TPC technique is suggested to provide details about the exciton and carrier processes at the interface. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.