Light-assisted tunneling current spectroscopy: a new tool for nanoscale observation of organic semiconductors

Fabrice Charra; Denis Fichou

doi:10.1117/12.456925

21 February 2002 Light-assisted tunneling current spectroscopy: a new tool for nanoscale observation of organic semiconductors

Fabrice Charra, Denis Fichou

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4465, Organic Photovoltaics II; (2002) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.456925
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2001, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The photovoltaic effect in organic solar cells is a multistep process involving both bulk and interfacial phenomena. In order to probe the local mechanisms of photocurrent production in organic semiconductors, we studied the influence of light on the junction between the tip of a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) and an organic thin film. We report here on the local through-space I-V and I-(Delta) Z characteristics ((Delta) Z=tip-sample distance) of pentacene (5A), a material with potential applications in photovoltaic solar cells. These systems behave as metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) tunnel junctions. The influence of light is investigated by coupling the organic nano-junctions to a laser beam. Monitoring the tip-sample distance (Delta) Z at the angstrom level (i.e. over the 0-20 angstrom range), allows to tune the I-V characteristics of these nanoscale organic tunnel junctions both in the dark and under illumination.

Citation Download Citation

Fabrice Charra and Denis Fichou "Light-assisted tunneling current spectroscopy: a new tool for nanoscale observation of organic semiconductors", Proc. SPIE 4465, Organic Photovoltaics II, (21 February 2002); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.456925

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