The roles of metallic rectangular-grating and planar anodes in the photocarrier generation and transport of organic solar cells

Abstract

A multiphysics study carries out on organic solar cells (OSCs) by solving Maxwells and semiconductor equations simultaneously. By introducing a metallic rectangular-grating as the anode, surface plasmons are excited resulting in nonuniform exciton generation. Meanwhile, the internal E-field of plasmonic OSCs is modified with the modulated anode boundary. The plasmonic OSC improves 13 of short-circuit current but reduces 7 of fill factor (FF) compared to the standard one with a planar anode. The uneven photocarrier generation and transport by the grating anode are physical origins of the dropped FF. This work provides fundamental multiphysics modeling and understanding for plasmonic OSCs. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.