Plasmon-assisted direction-and polarization-sensitive organic thin-film detector
Journal article, 2020

Utilizing Bragg surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on metal nanostructures for the use in optical devices has been intensively investigated in recent years. Here, we demonstrate the integration of nanostructured metal electrodes into an ITO-free thin film bulk heterojunction organic solar cell, by direct fabrication on a nanoimprinted substrate. The nanostructured device shows interesting optical and electrical behavior, depending on angle and polarization of incidence and the side of excitation. Remarkably, for incidence through the top electrode, a dependency on linear polarization and angle of incidence can be observed. We show that these peculiar characteristics can be attributed to the excitation of dispersive and non-dispersive Bragg SPPs on the metal–dielectric interface on the top electrode and compare it with incidence through the bottom electrode. Furthermore, the optical and electrical response can be controlled by the organic photoactive material, the nanostructures, the materials used for the electrodes and the epoxy encapsulation. Our device can be used as a detector, which generates a direct electrical readout and therefore enables the measuring of the angle of incidence of up to 60° or the linear polarization state of light, in a spectral region, which is determined by the active material. Our results could furthermore lead to novel organic Bragg SPP-based sensor for a number of applications.

Angle of incidence

Bragg SPPs

Grating

Plasmons

Organic solar cell

Nanoimprint lithography

Author

Michael J. Haslinger

Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU)

Profactor GmbH

Dmitry Sivun

Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU)

University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria

Hannes Pöhl

Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU)

Battulga Munkhbat

Chalmers, Physics, Bionanophotonics

Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU)

Michael Mühlberger

Profactor GmbH

Thomas A. Klar

Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU)

Markus C. Scharber

Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU)

Calin Hrelescu

Trinity College Dublin

Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU)

Nanomaterials

20794991 (eISSN)

Vol. 10 9 1-18 1866

Subject Categories

Atom and Molecular Physics and Optics

Other Physics Topics

Condensed Matter Physics

DOI

10.3390/nano10091866

PubMed

32957705

More information

Latest update

1/3/2024 9