Multifunctional Plasmonic Metasurfaces for Inverted Organic Photovoltaics

Multifunctional Plasmonic Metasurfaces for Inverted Organic Photovoltaics
Author: Christopher E. Petoukhoff
Publisher:
Total Pages: 315
Release: 2017
Genre: Photovoltaic cells
ISBN:

Emerging next-generation photovoltaic devices are fabricated from thin-films, with devices having thicknesses of less than 1 um, because of the reduced material waste, lower embodied energy, and propensity for forming flexible, light-weight devices. However, thin-film photovoltaics have limited absorption of light close to the absorption band edge of the semiconducting photoactive layer. In addition, thin-film photovoltaics fabricated from amorphous semiconductors, such as amorphous Si or organic semiconductors, typically require semiconductor thicknesses of ~100 nm due to their low charge carrier mobilities and correspondingly low charge diffusion lengths. However, by restricting the semiconducting active layer thickness in order to efficiently collect photogenerated charge carriers at the electrodes, incomplete light absorption occurs throughout the visible spectrum. To satisfy these competing constraints on the active layer thickness, light trapping techniques are required to increase the amount of light absorbed in physically-thin active layers. Conventional light trapping in thick, crystalline Si photovoltaics is typically achieved using micron-scale photonic structures that are not suitable for thin-film photovoltaics, which have active layers that are thinner than the height of these structures. Additionally, it is difficult to trap light in active layers with thicknesses below the diffraction limit (thicknesses less than half a wavelength in the material) using conventional photonic designs (e.g. total internal reflection of light scattered from a roughened surface). As such, nanophotonic designs, such as plasmonic nanostructures, are necessary to enhance the amount of light that can be absorbed by thin-film semiconductors. Here, we propose the use of multifunctional plasmonic metasurfaces to enhance the light trapping and absorption within physically-thin semiconductor active layers. Plasmonic metasurfaces are two-dimensional artificial materials composed of arrays of sub-wavelength metallic nanostructures where the macroscopic electromagnetic properties of the surface arise from the collective response of the individual nanostructures. They support both localized and propagating surface plasmon polaritons, which are hybrid light-charge density waves that exist at metal-dielectric interfaces and have strongly enhanced electric fields near the metal surface. Use of plasmonic metasurfaces in thin-film photovoltaics leads to enhanced absorption via: increased generation of charge carriers by local electric field enhancements; or increased optical path length through the semiconducting active layer either through light scattering from the nanostructures or by coupling the light to an in-plane waveguiding plasmonic mode. As such, thin-films of semiconductors can be both physically and electrically thin (i.e., thinner than the carrier diffusion length), but optically thick when employing plasmonic metasurfaces as electrodes. We gain further control of the properties of the electrode through application of an ultrathin interfacial layer, with thicknesses of less than 5 nm, which allows for tailoring the electronic properties (e.g., surface workfunction) while minimizing the impact on the optical properties of the resulting multifunctional plasmonic metasurface. In this thesis, we designed and fabricated multifunctional plasmonic metasurfaces with a focus on organic conjugated polymers as thin-film semiconductor active layers. Conjugated-polymer-based organic photovoltaics have shown great potential as alternative energy sources due to their propensity for solution-based processing, rendering devices with the fastest manufacture and energy payback times of all photovoltaic technologies. Conjugated polymers are organic semiconductors composed of primarily earth-abundant elements, and their optical, electronic, and morphological properties can be tuned synthetically. Due to the formation of tightly-bound Frenkel excitons upon photoexcitation, conjugated polymers have strong absorption coefficients, rendering them opaque at film thicknesses on the order of several hundred nanometers. However, like other organic semiconductors, conjugated polymers have low charge mobilities, restricting their thicknesses to less than ~100 nm to minimize charge recombination, thus necessitating the use of nanophotonic light trapping techniques. Improvements in the efficiency of photovoltaics predominantly arise from increases in the photocurrent or the open-circuit voltage of the device. We begin this work by predicting the optimal planar metal electrode structure by calculating the performance parameters for two types of organic photovoltaic devices (conventional and inverted) with a range of electrode surface workfunctions. We show that highly-efficient and stable inverted organic photovoltaics can be achieved by selecting metal electrodes with low parasitic absorption and high workfunctions, which maximizes the photocurrent and open-circuit voltage of the device, respectively. Based on our calculations, Ag electrodes with ultrathin (less than 5 nm) native AgOx surface layers lead to inverted organic photovoltaic devices with maximal efficiencies due to the low parasitic absorption and high workfunction of AgOx/Ag electrodes. This is the first reported theoretical study that systematically compares the performance parameters of conventional and inverted devices considering a range of different metal electrode types. Having predicted the optimal metal electrode and photovoltaic device structure, we design and fabricate plasmonic metasurfaces comprised of Ag nanoparticle arrays on Ag films to increase the active layer absorption in thin-film photovoltaics. We demonstrate that plasmonic metasurfaces comprised of low aspect ratio (height-to-diameter fraction) Ag nanoparticles can lead to enhanced absorption in organic active layers. We show that, in addition to the localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), absorber-coated plasmonic metasurfaces can support a previously unidentified optical mode type called absorption-induced scattering (AIS). Through our systematic experimental and computational studies, we show that AIS originates from the low energy mode of hybrid plasmon-exciton coupled states, and gives rise to many of the red-edge absorption enhancements frequently observed in plasmon-enhanced organic photovoltaics. We further demonstrate that SPPs with energies less than the AIS mode are out-coupled from absorber-coated metasurfaces for amorphous absorber coatings, but are trapped for semi-crystalline absorber coatings. In addition to developing a deep understanding of how Ag plasmonic metasurfaces can be employed to enhance sub-wavelength light-trapping and absorption in thin-film organic photovoltaic active layers, we further develop a method of controlling the surface workfunction of plasmonic metasurfaces. We fabricate multifunctional plasmonic metasurfaces comprised of Ag metasurfaces with ultrathin interfacial layers to simultaneously control the optical and electronic properties of the metasurface. We employ monolayer MoS2 and AgOx as ultrathin interfacial layers to minimize changes to the optical properties of the plasmonic metasurfaces. We show that, unexpectedly, the MoS2 interfacial layer contributed to the charge photogeneration process, resulting in the formation of a hybrid MoS2-organic active layer. We demonstrate ultrafast charge transfer between MoS2 and the organic layer, and show that the absorption and total charge generation is enhanced in the presence of the Ag plasmonic metasurface. AgOx, on the other hand, serves as a passive interfacial layer, and does not impact the optical properties of the Ag plasmonic metasurface. Thus, these multifunctional plasmonic metasurfaces allow for control of the optical properties of the electrode through the metasurface designs and the electrical properties through selection of ultrathin interfacial layers, which are expected to give rise to enhanced photocurrent and open-circuit voltage, respectively, in thin-film photovoltaic devices.

Metasurfaces: Physics and Applications

Metasurfaces: Physics and Applications
Author: Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi
Publisher: MDPI
Total Pages: 167
Release: 2018-11-16
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 3038973440

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Metasurfaces: Physics and Applications" that was published in Applied Sciences

Plasmonics: Fundamentals and Applications

Plasmonics: Fundamentals and Applications
Author: Stefan Alexander Maier
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2007-05-16
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0387378251

Considered a major field of photonics, plasmonics offers the potential to confine and guide light below the diffraction limit and promises a new generation of highly miniaturized photonic devices. This book combines a comprehensive introduction with an extensive overview of the current state of the art. Coverage includes plasmon waveguides, cavities for field-enhancement, nonlinear processes and the emerging field of active plasmonics studying interactions of surface plasmons with active media.

Gold Nanoparticles For Physics, Chemistry And Biology (Second Edition)

Gold Nanoparticles For Physics, Chemistry And Biology (Second Edition)
Author: Catherine Louis
Publisher: World Scientific
Total Pages: 681
Release: 2017-06-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1786341263

Gold Nanoparticles for Physics, Chemistry and Biology offers an overview of recent research into gold nanoparticles, covering their discovery, usage and contemporary practical applications.This Second Edition begins with a history of over 2000 years of the use of gold nanoparticles, with a review of the specific properties which make gold unique. Updated chapters include gold nanoparticle preparation methods, their plasmon resonance and thermo-optical properties, their catalytic properties and their future technological applications. New chapters have been included, and reveal the growing impact of plasmonics in research, with an introduction to quantum plasmonics, plasmon assisted catalysis and electro-photon conversion. The growing field of nanoparticles for health is also addressed with a study of gold nanoparticles as radiosensibiliser for radiotherapy, and of gold nanoparticle functionalisation. This new edition also considers the relevance of bimetallic nanoparticles for specific applications.World-class scientists provide the most up-to-date findings for an introduction to gold nanoparticles within the related areas of chemistry, biology, material science, optics and physics. It is perfectly suited to advanced level students and researchers looking to enhance their knowledge in the study of gold nanoparticles.

Inorganic and Organic Thin Films

Inorganic and Organic Thin Films
Author: Yu Song
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 771
Release: 2021-07-19
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3527344977

Learn more about foundational and advanced topics in polymer thin films and coatings besides species with this powerful two-volume resource The two-volume Inorganic and Organic Thin Films: Fundamentals, Fabrication, and Applications delivers a foundational resource for current researchers and commercial users involved in the design and fabrication of thin films. The book offers newcomers to the field a thorough description of new design theory, fabrication methods, and applications of advanced thin films. Readers will discover the physics and chemistry underlying the manufacture of new thin films and coatings in this leading new resource that promises to become a handbook for future applications of the technology. This one-stop reference brings together all important aspects of inorganic and polymeric thin films and coatings, including construction, assembly, deposition, functionality, patterning, and characterization. Explorations of their applications in industries as diverse as information technology, new energy, biomedical engineering, aerospace, and oceanographic engineering round out this fulsome exploration of one of the most exciting and rapidly developing areas of scientific and industrial research today. Readers will also learn from: A comprehensive introduction to the progress of thin films and coatings as well as fundamentals in functional thin films and coatings An exploration of multi-layered magnetic thin films for electron transport control and signal sensing, including giant magnetoresistance, colossal magnetoresistance, tunneling magnetoresistance, and the quantum anomalous Holzer effect An in time summary of high-quality magneto-optics, nanophotonics, spin waves and spintronics using bismuth-substituted iron garnet thin films as examples A thorough discussion of template-assisted fabrication of nanostructure thin films for ultrasensitive detection of chemicals and biomolecules A treatment of biomass derived functional films and coatings Perfect for materials scientists and inorganic chemists, Inorganic and Organic Thin Films will also earn a place in the libraries of solid state physicists and physical chemists working in private industry, as well as polymer and surface chemists who seek to improve their understanding of thin films and coatings.

Chiral Nanophotonics

Chiral Nanophotonics
Author: Martin Schäferling
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2016-11-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3319422642

This book describes the physics behind the optical properties of plasmonic nanostructures focusing on chiral aspects. It explains in detail how the geometry determines chiral near-fields and how to tailor their shape and strength. Electromagnetic fields with strong optical chirality interact strongly with chiral molecules and, therefore, can be used for enhancing the sensitivity of chiroptical spectroscopy techniques. Besides a short review of the latest results in the field of plasmonically enhanced enantiomer discrimination, this book introduces the concept of chiral plasmonic near-field sources for enhanced chiroptical spectroscopy. The discussion of the fundamental properties of these light sources provides the theoretical basis for further optimizations and is of interest for researchers at the intersection of nano-optics, plasmonics and stereochemistry.

Chemically Deposited Nanocrystalline Metal Oxide Thin Films

Chemically Deposited Nanocrystalline Metal Oxide Thin Films
Author: Fabian I. Ezema
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 926
Release: 2021-06-26
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3030684628

This book guides beginners in the areas of thin film preparation, characterization, and device making, while providing insight into these areas for experts. As chemically deposited metal oxides are currently gaining attention in development of devices such as solar cells, supercapacitors, batteries, sensors, etc., the book illustrates how the chemical deposition route is emerging as a relatively inexpensive, simple, and convenient solution for large area deposition. The advancement in the nanostructured materials for the development of devices is fully discussed.

Emerging Research in Science and Engineering Based on Advanced Experimental and Computational Strategies

Emerging Research in Science and Engineering Based on Advanced Experimental and Computational Strategies
Author: Felipe de Almeida La Porta
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 528
Release: 2020-01-02
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3030314030

In this book, the authors discuss some of the main challenges and new opportunities in science and engineering research, which involve combining computational and experimental approaches as a promising strategy for arriving at new insights into composition–structure–property relations, even at the nanoscale. From a practical standpoint, the authors show that significant improvements in the material/biomolecular foresight by design, including a fundamental understanding of their physical and chemical properties, are vital and will undoubtedly help us to reach a new technological level in the future.

Organic and Hybrid Solar Cells

Organic and Hybrid Solar Cells
Author: Lukas Schmidt-Mende
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 304
Release: 2016-05-24
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3110283204

With the increasing world-energy demand there is a growing necessity for clean and renewable energy. The sun being one of the most abundant potential sources accounts for less than 1% of the global energy supply. The market for solar cells is one of the most strongly increasing markets, even though the prize of conventional solar cells is still quite high. New emerging technologies, such as organic and hybrid solar cells have the potential to decrease the price of solar energy drastically. This book offers an introduction to these new types of solar cells and discusses fabrication, different architectures and their device physics on the bases of the author's teaching course on a master degree level. A comparison with conventional solar cells will be given and the specialties of organic solar cells emphasized.