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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 505 records · Page 28
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Singlet fission efficiency in tetracene-based organic solar cells

Singlet exciton fission splits one singlet exciton into two triplet excitons. Using a joint analysis of photocurrent and fluorescence modulation under a magnetic field, we determine that the triplet yield within optimized tetracene organic photovoltaic devices is 153% ± 5% for a tetracene film thickness of 20 nm. The corresponding internal quantum efficiency is 127% ± 18%. These results are used to prove the effectiveness of a simplified triplet yield measurement that relies only on the magnetic field modulation of fluorescence. Despite its relatively slow rate of singlet fission, the measured triplet yields confirm that tetracene is presently the best candidate for use with silicon solar cells.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Photoresponse in thin films of WO{sub 3} grown by pulsed laser deposition

We report, the photoresponse behaviour of Tungsten trioxide (WO{sub 3}) films of different surface morphology, grown by using pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The Growth parameters for PLD were changed for two substrates SiO{sub 2}/Si (SO) and SrTiO{sub 3} (STO), such a way which, result nanocrystalline film on SO and needle like structured film on STO. The photoresponse is greatly modified in these two films because of two different surface morphologies. The nanocrystalline film (film on SO) shows distinct photocurrent (PC) ON/OFF states when light was turned on/off, the enhancement of PC is ∼27%. Whereas, the film with needle like structure (film on STO) exhibits significantly enhanced persistent photocurrent even in light off condition, in this case, the enhancement of PC ∼ 50% at room temperature at lowest wavelength (λ = 360 nm) at a nominal bias voltage of 0.1 V.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Photo annealing effect on p-doped inverted organic solar cell

We report the transient positive photo annealing effect in which over 600% boost of power conversion efficiency was observed in inverted organic photovoltaic devices (OPV) made from P3HT/PCBM by spray method, after 2 hrs of constant solar AM 1.5 irradiation at low temperature. This is opposite to usual photodegradation of OPV, and cannot be explained by thermal activation alone since the mere temperature effect could only account for 30% of the enhancement. We have investigated the temperature dependence, cell geometry, oxygen influence, and conclude that, for p-doped active layer at room temperature, the predominant mechanism is photo-desorption of O{sub 2}, which eliminates electron traps and reduces space charge screening. As temperature decreases, thermal activation and deep trap-state filling start to show noticeable effect on the enhancement of photocurrent at intermediate low temperature (T = 125 K). At very low temperature, the dominant mechanism for photo annealing is trap-filling, which significantly reduces recombination between free and trapped carriers. At all temperature, photo annealing effect depends on illumination direction from cathode or anode. We also explained the large fluctuation of photocurrent by the capture/reemit of trapped electrons from shallow electron traps of O{sub 2}{sup -} generated by photo-doping. Our study has demonstrated the dynamic process of photo-doping and photo-desorption, and shown that photo annealing in vacuum can be an efficient method to improve OPV device efficiency.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Resonant metallic nanostructure for enhanced two-photon absorption in a thin GaAs p-i-n diode

Degenerate two-photon absorption (TPA) is investigated in a 186 nm thick gallium arsenide (GaAs) p-i-n diode embedded in a resonant metallic nanostructure. The full device consists in the GaAs layer, a gold subwavelength grating on the illuminated side, and a gold mirror on the opposite side. For TM-polarized light, the structure exhibits a resonance close to 1.47 μm, with a confined electric field in the intrinsic region, far from the metallic interfaces. A 109 times increase in photocurrent compared to a non-resonant device is obtained experimentally, while numerical simulations suggest that both gain in TPA-photocurrent and angular dependence can be further improved. For optimized grating parameters, a maximum gain of 241 is demonstrated numerically and over incidence angle range of (−30°; +30°).

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

General method for simultaneous optimization of light trapping and carrier collection in an ultra-thin film organic photovoltaic cell

We describe a general method for maximizing the short-circuit current in thin planar organic photovoltaic (OPV) heterojunction cells by simultaneous optimization of light absorption and carrier collection. Based on the experimentally obtained complex refractive indices of the OPV materials and the thickness-dependence of the internal quantum efficiency of the OPV active layer, we analyze the potential benefits of light trapping strategies for maximizing the overall power conversion efficiency of the cell. This approach provides a general strategy for optimizing the power conversion efficiency of a wide range of OPV structures. In particular, as an experimental trial system, the approach is applied here to a ultra-thin film solar cell with a SubPc/C{sub 60} photovoltaic structure. Using a patterned indium tin oxide (ITO) top contact, the numerically optimized designs achieve short-circuit currents of 0.790 and 0.980 mA/cm{sup 2} for 30 nm and 45 nm SubPc/C{sub 60} heterojunction layer thicknesses, respectively. These values correspond to a power conversion efficiency enhancement of 78% for the 30 nm thick cell, but only of 32% for a 45 nm thick cell, for which the overall photocurrent is actually higher. Applied to other material systems, the general optimization method can elucidate if light trapping strategies can improve a given cell architecture.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Integrated optical and electrical modeling of plasmon-enhanced thin film photovoltaics: A case-study on organic devices

The nanoscale light control for absorption enhancement of organic photovoltaic (OPV) devices inevitably produces strongly non-uniform optical fields. These non-uniformities due to the localized optical modes are a primary route toward absorption enhancement in OPV devices. Therefore, a rigorous modeling tool taking into account the spatial distribution of optical field and carrier generation is necessary. Presented here is a comprehensive numerical model to describe the coupled optical and electrical behavior of plasmon-enhanced polymer:fullerene bulk heterojunction (BHJ) solar cells. In this model, a position-dependent electron-hole pair generation rate that could become highly non-uniform due to photonic nanostructures is directly calculated from the optical simulations. By considering the absorption and plasmonic properties of nanophotonic gratings included in two different popular device architectures, and applying the Poisson, current continuity, and drift/diffusion equations, the model predicts quantum efficiency, short-circuit current density, and desired carrier mobility ratios for bulk heterojunction devices incorporating nanostructures for light management. In particular, the model predicts a significant degradation of device performance when the carrier species with lower mobility are generated far from the collecting electrode. Consequently, an inverted device architecture is preferred for materials with low hole mobility. This is especially true for devices that include plasmonic nanostructures. Additionally, due to the incorporation of a plasmonic nanostructure, we use simulations to theoretically predict absorption band broadening of a BHJ into energies below the band gap, resulting in a 4.8% increase in generated photocurrent.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Multichromophoric energy sensitization of C60 for organic photovoltaics

In organic photovoltaics (OPVs), photocurrent generation is limited by absorption and exciton diffusion in the active layer. In this work, we describe the energy sensitization of C 60 simultaneously by two chromophores at high volume concentrations (50%). This sensitization strategy takes advantage of the intense absorption of the sensitizers and the exceptional electron conduction and exciton diffusion length of C 60 resulting in a 30% increase in photoresponse of the C 60 -based sensitized acceptor layer between $λ$ = 450 nm and 670 nm and power conversion efficiency under simulated AM 1.5G illumination. In (2,4-bis[4-(N,N-diphenylamino)-2,6- dihydroxyphenyl] squaraine)/C 60 devices, sensitization results in an increase in J SC from 6.5 ± 0.2 mA/cm 2 to 8.6 ± 0.2 mA/cm 2 without compromising V OC or FF. These results demonstrate the robust nature of this sensitization scheme and its broad potential for application in OPVs.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Investigation of the influence of coadsorbent dye upon the interfacial structure of dye-sensitized solar cells

The interface between Ru(tcterpy)(NCS){sub 3}TBA{sub 2} [black dye (BD); tcterpy = 4,4{sup ′},4{sup ″}-tricarboxy-2,2{sup ′}:6{sup ′},2{sup ″}-terpyridine, NCS = thiocyanato, TBA = tetrabutylammonium cation] and nanocrystalline TiO{sub 2}, as found in dye-sensitized solar cells, is investigated by soft-X-ray synchrotron radiation and compared with the adsorption structure of cis-Ru(Hdcbpy){sub 2}(NCS){sub 2}TBA{sub 2} (N719; dcbpy = 4,4{sup ′}-dicarboxy-2,2{sup ′}-bipyridine) on TiO{sub 2} to elucidate the relationship between the adsorption mode of BD and the photocurrent with and without coadsorbed indoline dye D131. The depth profile is characterized with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and S K-edge X-ray absorption fine structure using synchrotron radiation. Both datasets indicate that one of the isothiocyanate groups of BD interacts with TiO{sub 2} via its S atom when the dye is adsorbed from a single-component solution. In contrast, the interaction is slightly suppressed when D131 is coadsorbed, indicated by the fact that the presence of D131 changes the adsorption mode of BD. Based upon these results, the number of BD dye molecules interacting with the substrate is shown to decrease by 10% when D131 is coadsorbed, and the dissociation is shown to be related to the short-circuit photocurrent in the 600–800 nm region. The design of a procedure to promote the preferential adsorption of D131 therefore leads to an improvement of the short-circuit current and conversion efficiency.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Modelling of illuminated current–voltage characteristics to evaluate leakage currents in long wavelength infrared mercury cadmium telluride photovoltaic detectors

The current–voltage characteristics of long wavelength mercury cadmium telluride infrared detectors have been studied using a recently suggested method for modelling of illuminated photovoltaic detectors. Diodes fabricated on in-house grown arsenic and vacancy doped epitaxial layers were evaluated for their leakage currents. The thermal diffusion, generation–recombination (g-r), and ohmic currents were found as principal components of diode current besides a component of photocurrent due to illumination. In addition, both types of diodes exhibited an excess current component whose growth with the applied bias voltage did not match the expected growth of trap-assisted-tunnelling current. Instead, it was found to be the best described by an exponential function of the type, I{sub excess} = I{sub r0} + K{sub 1} exp (K{sub 2} V), where I{sub r0}, K{sub 1}, and K{sub 2} are fitting parameters and V is the applied bias voltage. A study of the temperature dependence of the diode current components and the excess current provided the useful clues about the source of origin of excess current. It was found that the excess current in diodes fabricated on arsenic doped epitaxial layers has its origin in the source of ohmic shunt currents. Whereas, the source of excess current in diodes fabricated on vacancy doped epitaxial layers appeared to be the avalanche multiplication of photocurrent. The difference in the behaviour of two types of diodes has been attributed to the difference in the quality of epitaxial layers.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2014

Light matter interaction in WS{sub 2} nanotube-graphene hybrid devices

We study the light matter interaction in WS{sub 2} nanotube-graphene hybrid devices. Using scanning photocurrent microscopy, we find that by engineering graphene electrodes for WS{sub 2} nanotubes we can improve the collection of photogenerated carriers. We observe inhomogeneous spatial photocurrent response with an external quantum efficiency of ∼1% at 0 V bias. We show that defects play an important role and can be utilized to enhance and tune photocarrier generation.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Measuring charge carrier mobility in photovoltaic devices with micron-scale resolution

We present a charge-extraction technique, micron-scale charge extraction by linearly increasing voltage, which enables simultaneous spatially resolved measurements of charge carrier mobility and photocurrent in thin-film photovoltaic devices with micron-scale resolution. An intensity-modulated laser with beam diameter near the optical diffraction limit is scanned over the device, while a linear voltage ramp in reverse bias is applied at each position of illumination. We calculate the majority carrier mobility, photocurrent, and number of photogenerated charge carriers from the resulting current transient. We demonstrate this technique on an organic photovoltaic device, but it is applicable to a wide range of photovoltaic materials.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

UV light sensing properties of Sm doped vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays

Samarium doped ZnO nanorods were grown on silicon substrate by using vapor phase transport method (VPT) with the growth temperature of 950°C. The synthesized nanorods were characterized by XRD, field emission scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectra, and photocurrent measurements. The XRD result revealed that Sm was successfully doped into lattice plane of hexagonal ZnO nanorods. The FESEM result confirms the pure ZnO has nanorod like morphology with an average diameter and length of 130nm and 10µm respectively. The above observation is supported by the Micro-Raman spectroscopy result. The photocurrent in the visible region has been significantly enhanced due to deposition of Sm on the surface of the ZnO nanorods. Sm acts as a visible sensitizer because of its lower band gap compared to ZnO.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Near-infrared photodetectors utilizing MoS{sub 2}-based heterojunctions

Near-infrared photodetectors are developed using graphene/MoS{sub 2} and WSe{sub 2}/MoS{sub 2} vertical heterojunctions. These heterojunctions exhibit diode-rectifying behavior in the dark and enhanced photocurrent upon near-infrared irradiation. The photocurrent increases with increasing near-infrared power, leading to the photoresponsibility of 0.14 and 0.3 A W{sup −1} for the graphene/MoS{sub 2} and WSe{sub 2}/MoS{sub 2} heterojunctions, respectively, which are much higher than the photoresponsibility reported for a multilayer MoS{sub 2} phototransistor.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Illumination angle and layer thickness influence on the photo current generation in organic solar cells: A combined simulative and experimental study

In most future organic photovoltaic applications, such as fixed roof installations, facade or clothing integration, the solar cells will face the sun under varying angles. By a combined simulative and experimental study, we investigate the mutual interdependencies of the angle of light incidence, the absorber layer thickness and the photon harvesting efficiency within a typical organic photovoltaic device. For thin absorber layers, we find a steady decrease of the effective photocurrent towards increasing angles. For 90-140 nm thick absorber layers, however, we observe an effective photocurrent enhancement, exhibiting a maximum yield at angles of incidence of about 50°. Both effects mainly originate from the angle-dependent spatial broadening of the optical interference pattern inside the solar cell and a shift of the absorption maximum away from the metal electrode.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Efficient nanorod-based amorphous silicon solar cells with advanced light trapping

We present a simple, low-cost, and scalable approach for the fabrication of efficient nanorod-based solar cells. Templates with arrays of self-assembled ZnO nanorods with tunable morphology are synthesized by chemical bath deposition using a low process temperature at 80 °C. The nanorod templates are conformally coated with hydrogenated amorphous silicon light absorber layers of 100 nm and 200 nm thickness. An initial efficiency of up to 9.0% is achieved for the optimized design. External quantum efficiency measurements on the nanorod cells show a substantial photocurrent enhancement both in the red and the blue parts of the solar spectrum. Key insights in the light trapping mechanisms in these arrays are obtained via a combination of three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain simulations, optical absorption, and external quantum efficiency measurements. Front surface patterns enhance the light incoupling in the blue, while rear side patterns lead to enhanced light trapping in the red. The red response in the nanorod cells is limited by absorption in the patterned Ag back contact. With these findings, we develop and experimentally realize a further advanced design with patterned front and back sides while keeping the Ag reflector flat, showing significantly enhanced scattering from the back reflector with reduced parasitic absorption in the Ag and thus higher photocurrent generation. Many of the findings in this work can serve to provide insights for further optimization of nanostructures for thin-film solar cells in a broad range of materials.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2015

Mid-infrared photodetection in an AlGaAs/GaAs quantum-well infrared photodetector using photoinduced noise

We propose a new way to assess the output signal of a quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP). Instead of measuring the photocurrent produced by the device, as usually done, we show that the noise induced by the absorption process can be used to generate a useful detection signal. We built a simple electronic circuit able to quantify the noise of an AlGaAs/GaAs QWIP that was intentionally designed to produce no photocurrent at all, and we demonstrated that such a circuit was able to generate a strong output signal whenever an infrared radiation of a specific wavelength was shed on the detector. This concept opens new possibilities for the design of novel types of photodetection systems.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗
DOE OSTI2017

Nanoantenna-induced current enhancement of nano-sized metal/oxide interfaces

In this paper, nanoantenna resonance is demonstrated on nano-sized gold/SrTiO 3 interfaces. This resonance arising from the collective oscillation of free electrons results in photocurrent current enhancement, facilitated by the built-in electric field at the Schottky interface. This current enhancement around the nanoantenna resonance peak can be attributed to hot electron generation and extraction. The photocurrent dependence on incident wavelength and power was characterized. Finally, applying external bias, improved the current enhancement by orders of magnitude.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗