Improving the efficiency of organic photovoltaic devices through interface engineering

We explore theoretically the effect of incorporating a thin tunnel barrier between the electron and hole transport layers of organic heterostructure photovoltaic devices. The device efficiency can be improved significantly by controlling the rates of microscopic processes associated with exciton dissociation and recombination at the interface between the electron and hole transport layers. The effects of different parameters are examined, and conclusions for organic photovoltaic device design are discussed.