Simulation of Light-Trapping Characteristics of Self-Assembled Nano-Ridges in Ternary Organic Film

Abstract

The presence of self-assembled nano-ridged (SANR) structures in PTB7-Th:PC70BM:PC60BM ternary organic blend film with the specific component ratio was experimentally clarified, and the light-trapping effect of the SANR structures was demonstrated. On this basis, the light-trapping characteristics of the PTB7-Th:PC70BM:PC60BM ternary blend film with the SANR structures were investigated by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm. The results showed that the SANR structures have a light-trapping effect, which can effectively reduce the transmittance and reflectance of the incident photons at the specific wavelengths and thus exhibit stronger photon absorption, especially for the photons in the wavelength range of 550–650 nm. The light-trapping effect of the SANR structures does not depend on the direction of photon incidence, and the active layer traps the photons incident from both its top and bottom. The dimensional variation of the SANR has a significant effect on the light-trapping characteristics of the active layer, and the effect caused by the height variation is overwhelmingly superior compared with that of the width variation. In addition, the higher the density of the SANR, the more significant the light-trapping effect of the active layer. This work provides a theoretical basis for the further experimental enhancement of the photon absorption capacity of the PTB7-Th:PC70BM:PC60BM active layer with SANR structures.