AVS 57th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Energy Frontiers Topical Conference Tuesday Sessions
       Session EN+EM-TuA

Invited Paper EN+EM-TuA7
Probing Charge Transport in Exploratory Nanocrystal-Based Devices

Tuesday, October 19, 2010, 4:00 pm, Room Mesilla

Session: Electronic Materials for Energy Conversion & Storage
Presenter: P. Nagpal, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Authors: P. Nagpal, Los Alamos National Laboratory
V.I. Klimov, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
Colloidally synthesized semiconductor nanocrystals offer the exciting opportunity to exploit unique physical properties, such as size tunable band gap, in low-cost, solution-processed thin film devices. However, charge transport in as-deposited thin films of colloidal nanocrystals is hindered by organic ligands. At the Center for Advanced Solar Photophysics (CASP), a DOE Energy Frontier Research Center, we are investigating the mechanism of charge transport in nanocrystal films by employing them in a range of simple device architectures, with the goal of optimizing them for photovoltaic application. As an example, I will present recent work in nanocrystal-based optical field effect transistors specifically designed to study electron transport and the dynamics of the photogenerated carriers in these semiconductor thin films. These devices offer invaluable information regarding field dependant mobility, optical gating and changes in the Fermi-level at the nanocrystal film interface. I will then discuss other exploratory device efforts at CASP, and how the information generated will be used collectively for the development of solar cells and other energy-related applications.