Tutorial EN04—Fundamentals and Applications of Next-Generation Organic Photovoltaics

Energetics of Electronic Devices
Koen Vandewal, Hasselt University

Organic solar cells have emerged as a versatile and low-cost clean energy technology that is currently being adopted into smart buildings, portable electronics and remote locations. In this tutorial, we will discuss the fundamental properties of electron-donor-acceptor interfaces for organic solar cells and link them to photovoltaic performance. The focus will be on the quantification of energy and voltage losses. The influence of morphology and high- and low-frequency vibrational modes on these losses as well as on absorption and emission spectra, Urbach tails and optical gaps will be discussed. We will conclude with a summary of the currently known strategies to reduce energy losses in organic photovoltaics by molecular design, microstructural control and the appropriate choice of device architecture.

Next-Generation Transparent Energy Devices
Quinn Burlingame, Princeton University

The tunable optical properties of organic and perovskite semiconductors have enabled the creation of a new generation of (semi) transparent photovoltaic cells that promise to electrify previously untapped surfaces on buildings, vehicles and electronic devices while improving their energy efficiency and functionality. These devices have garnered significant research attention from the emerging photovoltaics community and have attracted sufficient interest from architects, automakers, electronics manufacturers and green-tech investors to spur the creation of startup companies working to commercialize transparent photovoltaic technologies. In this tutorial, we will discuss the design and characterization of this exciting class of emerging devices—from the materials innovations that enable them to their optical design principles, fundamental efficiency limits and the figures-of-merit used to quantify their aesthetic properties and photovoltaic performance.