Modeling the current-voltage characteristics of bilayer polymer photovoltaic devices

We have developed a numerical model to predict the current-voltage curves of bilayer conjugated polymer photovoltaic devices. The model accounts for charge photogeneration, injection, drift, diffusion, and recombination, and includes the effect of space charge on the electric field within the device. Charge separation at the polymer-polymer interface leads to the formation of bound polaron pairs which may either recombine monomolecularly or be dissociated into free charges, and we develop expressions for the field dependence of the dissociation rate. We find that the short-circuit quantum efficiency is determined by the competition between polaron pair dissociation and recombination. The model shows a logarithmic dependence of the open-circuit voltage on the incident intensity, as seen experimentally. This additional intensity-dependent voltage arises from the field required to produce a drift current that balances the current due to diffusion of carriers away from the interface.