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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 July 2011
In this work we investigate polymer photodiodes based on a blend system consisting of poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and the fullerene derivative (6,6)-phenyl C-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). An optimized low source impedance architecture allows measurements in the GHz range with minimum distortion, while at the same time allowing to probe the favourable sandwich device structure. We have studied the underlying device physics and investigated the influence of parameters such as active layer thickness and bias voltage on the transient photocurrent response. Using a numerical simulation software combining a self-consistent drift-diffusion model in conjunction with an optical model based on the transfer matrix method we model the transient photocurrent of polymer photodiodes. Transient photocurrent measurements utilizing this low impedance device architecture excited by 1.6 ns short laser pulses show very good correlation between simulated and measured results. Furthermore we have developed an encapsulation technique to integrate high-speed organic photodiodes onto standard printed circuit boards (PCBs) to avoid the degradation of the devices by humidity or oxygen.