Broadband Finite-Difference Time-Domain Modeling of Plasmonic Organic Photovoltaics

We develop accurate finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) modeling of polymer bulk heterojunction solar cells containing Ag nanoparticles between the hole-transporting layer and the transparent conducting oxide-coated glass substrate in the wavelength range of 300 nm to 800 nm. The Drude dispersion modeling technique is used to model the frequency dispersion behavior of Ag nanoparticles, the hole-transporting layer, and indium tin oxide. The perfectly matched layer boundary condition is used for the top and bottom regions of the computational domain, and the periodic boundary condition is used for the lateral regions of the same domain. The developed FDTD modeling is employed to investigate the effect of geometrical parameters of Ag nanospheres on electromagnetic fields in devices. Although negative plasmonic effects are observed in the considered device, absorption enhancement can be achieved when favorable geometrical parameters are obtained.