The landscape of photodetector and solar cell technologies has been rapidly expanded with the emergence of numerous novel material paradigms, including organic semiconductors, perovskites, and two-dimensional (2D) materials. These technology advances directly impact a broad spectrum of applications, from night vision to medical imaging and energy conversion. As materials, device architectures, and manufacturing processes evolve, external quantum efficiency (EQE) is a key metric when comparing devices and competing technologies.
In this new app note, we demonstrate a new approach to sensitive external quantum efficiency (sEQE) characterization as a means to measuring the lowest EQE values possible — more precisely, the EQE values at the low-energy flank of the EQE spectrum — when studying low-energy phenomena such as charge transfer (CT) states as well as traps and defects.
The note, co-authored by Lake Shore Senior Applications Scientist David Daughton, Dr. Axel Fischer of SweepMe! GmbH, and Jakob Wolansky and Dr. Johannes Benduhn of TU Dresden, specifically discusses:
- Conventional instrumentation used for an sEQE measurement
- The alternate approach that utilizes our new MeasureReady™ M81-SSM (Synchronous Source Measure System) set up to perform DC I-V sweeps and lock-in detection of a device's induced AC photocurrent
- The results of an sEQE measurement performed on a C60:ZnPc organic solar cell device using the M81-SSM platform
To speak to us about your specific EQE measurement application and how the M81-SMM could benefit your research, contact sales@lakeshore.com or call 614-891-2243.
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