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Light-Intensity Dependent Photoresponse Time of Organic Photodetectors and Its Molecular Origin

Journal
Nature Communications
Date
2022.06.29
Abstract

Organic photodetectors (OPDs) exhibit superior spectral responses but slower photoresponse times compared to inorganic counterparts. Herein, we study the light-intensity-dependent OPD photoresponse time with two small-molecule donors (planar MPTA or twisted NP-SA) co-evaporated with C60 acceptors. MPTA:C60 exhibits the fastest response time at high-light intensities (>0.5 mW/cm2), attributed to its planar structure favoring strong intermolecular interactions. However, this blend exhibits the slowest response at low-light intensities, which is correlated with biphasic photocurrent transients indicative of the presence of a low density of deep trap states. Optical, structural and energetical analyses indicate that MPTA molecular packing is more strongly disrupted by C60 than NP-SA, resulting in a larger (370 meV) HOMO level shift. This results in greater energetic inhomogeneity, leading to deep trap state formation which limits the low-light photoresponse time. This work provides important insights into the organic small molecule design rules critical for low charge-trapping and high-speed OPD applications.

Reference
Nature Communications volume 13, Article number: 3745 (2022)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-31367-4